#on one hand i hate soccer
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i should watch blue lock
#on one hand i hate soccer#on the other hand i also hate volleyball and haikyuu is still one of my favorite animes#so yeah i think i'll give it a shot â˝đĽ
#chloe.txt
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thereâs this weird virtue signaling thing that happens sometimes where people go out of their way to make sure you know they HATE mystra and HATE mizora no matter what else theyâre talking about. theyâll interrupt their own post to state and restate how much they hate one or both of these characters. and yet (and maybe this has more to do with who i follow?) i donât see the same thing happen to cazador? astarion meta posts arenât usually peppered with op taking the time to ensure the audience knows they hate him every 4 sentences. and like hm. wonder why that is.
#not that people donât hate cazador they VERY much do#but with mizora (and sometimes mystra tho not Quite as often) people go out of their way to like.#talk abt how they want to kill her in every post they make about wyll/gale#and on one hand for mizora i think itâs meant to be like#LOOK AT ME I CARE ABOUT AND WANT TO PROTECT THE BLACK MAN#but on the other hand. hm. ppl sure do focus incessantly on hating these two characters#in a way they donât for cazador#and there is. well. one big difference between them isnât there.#for the record i like cazador and mizora. i donât care about mystra bc her design sucks#i think a manipulative goddess of magic should look at the very least kind of cool but no. they made her a soccer mom#柍č¨#reblogs off on this guy. not today man. not today
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Lads (/gn) the world cup made me into a France simp ://
Messi is such a lil bitch that I just had to support France...especially since they were the underdogs...and since the game was just insane all the way through
If you wish to unfollow me for my sins that is understandable.
#world cup 2022#france vs argentina#world cup final#i wear a little beret and eat snails and sip wine#:pensive:#i am so ashamed#but messi just forced my hand#i say things#insert obligatory fuck fifa and qatar here#hate hate hate#also insert obligatory i know nothing about soccer#i just watch the little guys kick the little ball into boxes#and ive decided one of the little guys is a bitch#i just also see an underdog#and i go thats my little scrunkle right there
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WARNINGS: afab!reader, non-stabilished relationship, lots of alcohol, suggestive, university's games, competition, hangovers, being drunk, public-make out.
college fling!seungcheol just bc he looks so university's crush coded in today's show.
college fling!seungcheol that would stand there, hands on his hips, head tilted a little as he scanned you from head to toe when y'all got paired. âyou sure about this?â he asked to the organizer of the games, voice full of doubt but eyes already sizing up jeonghan across the field, like that rivalry was the only thing keeping him in check. you just raised a brow, cocky grin pulling at your lips. âoh, donât worry. iâll carry us.â his laugh was quiet, disbelieving, but there was something about the way his lips twitched like he wasnât ready to write you off completely.
fast forward a few games in and youâd completely turned the tables on himâlike, when you knocked jeonghanâs smug ass out of dodgeball, the look on seungcheolâs face was priceless. you were really out here, dodging like your life depended on it. jeonghanâs out for blood, but youâre quicker. you hit him square in the chest, and his dramatic reaction has seungcheol laughing so hard he nearly doubles over. like, he blinked a few times and then that big, stupid grin just split across his face. he gave you this sideways glance, âi mightâve underestimated you.â
âyeah, no shit.â
so now, youâre stuck, tied leg to leg with him for this stupid-ass three-legged race. heâs got his arm slung around your waist, warm and firm like heâs not letting you trip up even once, and his breath is hot against your ear as he leans in. âyou ready to win this?â
âyou better keep up,â you shoot back, glancing up at him just to see that fire in his eyes, the same one youâd caught earlier when he was glaring daggers at jeonghan like the free beer wasnât even the point anymoreâit was just about beating him.
the whistle blows, and suddenly youâre off. at first, it's awkward as hellâlegs all tangled and stumbling over each other âyou gotta move faster,â he says, out of breath, too serious, like this whole thing isnât ridiculous.
âmaybe if you stopped dragging me like a sack of potatoes!â
âweâre not losing to him,â he mutters, eyes sharp like heâs got a personal vendetta against that flowing hair and smug smile.
and suddenly, youâre in it too, because if thereâs one thing you hate more than this sweaty, chaotic mess, itâs losing to jeonghan.
âfine. letâs beat his ass.â maybe itâs the adrenaline or maybe itâs just seungcheolâs grip tightening around your waist, but you two start to move as one, hitting your stride, and you feel the wind whipping past your face as you dash ahead of the other pairs.
by the end of it, youâre both panting, chest heaving, but youâve won.
later on, the soccer game, when youâre standing by the soccer field, heâs got this boyish smirk plastered on his face. âjust cheer loud,â he calls out before jogging onto the field, glancing back every now and then, clearly waiting for your cheer. and yeah, maybe your voice is a little louder than it needs to be when you shout his name, but when you see the way his whole face lights up as soon as you do, itâs worth it. he says heâll play better if you cheer for him, like your voice will magically give him superpowers.
he scores a few points and each time, without fail, he looks over at you, like heâs feeding off of it. like, your praise alone is fueling him more than anything else. after the game, all sweaty and breathless, he jogs over to you, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. âtold you iâd win.â
college fling!seungcheol that would be loud as hell when youâre out there, ready to crush the final game. itâs some chaotic water relayâlike, they filled these huge tubs with water, gave y'all a bucket, and the goal was to fill up another container on the other side of the field. the buckets had holes in them, so you had to sprint before the water leaked out.
and seungcheol? this man was unhinged. standing right on the sidelines, practically losing his damn mind every time you bolted back with a half-full bucket. âFASTER, Y/N, COME ON! YOU GOT THIS!â it was like heâd forgotten that this wasnât some life-or-death competition, just free beer for a year. other students were shooting him dirty looks, a couple even told him to shut up, but he didnât give a single fuck. âLETâS GO, DONâT SLOW DOWN NOW!â
that's when he saw something different in youâlike, something clicked in his head, especially when you wiped your face, water dripping down your legs, making those already too-short shorts stick to your thighs. his cheers stopped mid-scream for a second, eyes going wide as they raked over your legs. he blinked like heâd forgotten what he was supposed to be yelling, and for a moment, it was just him staring.
âshit,â he muttered under his breath, but then he snapped out of it just as quick, âCOME ON, Y/N! LETâS GO! ONE MORE, YOU GOT THIS!â
the final lap, water sloshing everywhere, legs burning, and you sprinted across the field with that leaky-ass bucket. and when you dumped that last bit of water into the container, tipping it just right, you barely had time to catch your breath before seungcheol was on you.
he practically tackled you into a hug, soaked and laughing like a maniac. âWE DID IT! FREE BEER ALL YEAR!â he was yelling in your ear, spinning you around like you werenât already dizzy from running your ass off. his hands slipped down to your waist again, fingers digging into your skin. the grin on his face was huge, like he was the one who won, not you.
âput me down, you big idiot,â you laughed, but honestly, you didnât mind the way he held you up.
ânot a chance,â he grinned, pressing his forehead to yours, still breathless. âyou fuckinâ killed it. i knew you would.â
and then came the beer. someone from the staff tossed a cooler your way, cracking open a cold one, and before you could even take a sip, seungcheol snatched it out of your hand with this naughty look in his eye. âoh, nah, youâre not drinking that yet.â
âwhatââ but before you could even finish, he shook the bottle like a madman and sprayed it all over you, foam and liquid pouring down your face and chest, soaking your already-wet clothes even more. you gasped, but it was too lateâyou were drenched.
âcheol!â you screamed, reaching for another beer, ready to get him back. and thatâs when it turned into this all-out beer fight, both of you laughing so hard your sides hurt, chasing each other around the field with bottles. students were cheering, joining in on the madness, but all you could focus on was seungcheol, hair wet and sticking to his forehead, eyes bright as he grabbed another bottle and aimed it right at you.
âthis is for winning!â he shouted, dousing you again, the white beer's foam in the middle of your breasts through your sports top, and you retaliated, beer spilling all over his shirt, his jaw slack with a mock gasp.
âyouâre gonna regret that,â he said, but his voice was soft, eyes flicking to your lips just for a second. you both froze, your chest heaving, his hands sliding to your waist again, beer dripping down your arms, clothes clinging to your bodies in the late summer sun.
ânot if i do this first,â you whispered, grabbing his collar, and in one quick move, you kissed him.
your bodies slipped slightly, drenched in beer, but that didnât stop you from pressing yourself tighter against seungcheol. his arm, still holding the half-empty bottle, looped around the back of your neck, drawing you in closer as his lips crushed against yours. his mouth was hot, wet, tasting like the beer heâd just sprayed all over you, and you felt the way his tongue dragged against yours, sucking at it slow and messy, like he was taking his time, savoring the taste of you. your fingers were tangled in his hair, pulling just enough to make him moan into your mouth.
you felt the cold bottle you were still holding press into his back as your bodies shifted. his free hand twitched, so close to your ass that you were almost sure heâd give in and grab it, but he paused. his fingers hovered just above your skin, twitching like he was fighting the urge. even though you could feel the heat between you two, that raw, hungry want, he knew where you were. middle of the field. right after the game. some people were definitely watching, but no one cared. honestly, stuff like this? it happened all the time after athletic games. it was almost tradition.
still, seungcheol held back. instead, he pulled back slightly, lips swollen, breathing hard against your mouth as his forehead rested against yours. âyouâre making it real hard to be respectful right now,â he mumbled. the way he said it made you even wetterânot from the beer, not from the sweat, not from the waterâand you let out a breathless laugh.
âwho said i needed you to be respectful?â you teased, nipping at his bottom lip before finally letting go of his hair. his eyes flicked down to your lips, and his grip tightened, like he was fighting every instinct to just take you right there.
but then someone yelled, âget a room!â and seungcheol just grinned, eyes crinkling at the corners as he looked at you. âcome on, letâs go celebrate this win properly.â
â // â
after a good bath and a quick nap, at night, you made it to the bar, it was packed. everyone from the games was there, still high off the adrenaline, beers already flowing, and the music was loud enough to shake the walls. seungcheolâs arm was around your shoulders as you walked in, pulling you close like he wasnât about to let you get too far from him.
âyou think weâll ever have to pay for a drink again?â you asked, glancing up at him with a smirk.
ânot after today,â he replied, flashing you that same cocky grin that made your stomach flip. âfree beer for a year? weâre legends now.â
you found a spot at the bar, already surrounded by some of your friends, and before you knew it, you had drinks in your hands. shot after shot, and seungcheol was right there with you, matching you drink for drink. you lost track of how many times he leaned in close, voice low in your ear as he made some comment that had you laughing so hard your sides hurt. his hand never left your waist, and each time his thumb brushed the bare skin just under your shirt, it made you squirm.
at some point, seungcheol challenged you to a drinking gameâone that neither of you had any business playing after the amount of alcohol youâd already consumed. âyouâre gonna lose,â he slurred, eyes half-lidded as he leaned in close, face inches from yours.
âin your dreams,â you shot back, taking another shot just to prove a point.
you lost the game, obviously. seungcheol won with a shit-eating grin, and you were tipsy enough to let him pull you into his lap, his arms wrapping around your waist like you belonged there.
â // â
by the time you both stumbled out of the bar, the cool dawn brushed your skin. seungcheolâs arm was slung over your shoulders, both of you laughing about something you couldnât even remember. the streets were quiet, the rest of campus dark except for the streetlights flickering above. you were both drunk, but in that good way where everything felt light and easy.
âyou think weâre gonna regret this tomorrow?â you asked, glancing up at him with a smirk.
âprobably,â he grinned, his voice slurred as he leaned in to press a sloppy kiss to your temple. âbut who cares?â
the walk back to your dorms was full of teasing, bumping into each other as you tried to walk straight. every now and then, seungcheol would stop, grab your hand, and pull you into a kiss, laughing against your lips when you almost tripped over your own feet.
when you finally made it back, he didnât let go of you. not when you fumbled with your keys, not when you stumbled into your room, not even when you both collapsed onto the bed, still fully dressed and reeking of beer. he pulled you into his chest, both of you too drunk and too tired to do anything else.
âyouâre a mess,â you whispered, eyes half-closed as you curled into him.
âyou smell like beer.â he mumbled against your neck.
â // â
monday's mornings comes way too fast, and the hangovers hit even harder. you woke up with your head pounding, still tangled up in the sheets with seungcheolâs arm draped over you. groaning, you tried to sit up, but the room spun, and you collapsed back onto the bed.
ânever again,â you muttered.
seungcheol just chuckled, his voice raspy and rough. âwe said that last time.â
you both spent the entire day nursing your hangovers, drinking water, and trying to piece together the night before. every now and then, seungcheol would nudge you, reminding you of something stupid youâd said or done, and youâd both break into fits of laughter despite the splitting headaches.
#seventeen imagines#seventeen reactions#seventeen headcanons#seventeen scenarios#seventeen x reader#seventeen#svt imagines#seventeen smut#svt smut#seventeen fluff#scoups x y/n#scoups x you#scoups x reader#scoups smut#seungcheol smut#seungcheol fanfic
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hybrid au part 3 - FINAL
other parts: one | two
cw: major character death, angst, happy ending tho, lack of communication, loving!kyle agenda, mentions of price finally
a/n: SO THAT'S IT. i hope it was worth the wait!!!! mwah!!!
Kyle noticed the way your light dimmed the following days. He was at a loss, one day you're bouncing off the walls and filling every room with the sweet sound of your purrs and the next it's cold and quiet.Â
He tried everything, bringing home fragrant, expensive food and snacks, toys, whatever he could find that he thought would make you smile again. But nothing seemed to work.Â
When you spend the entire day curled up on the couch, blankly watching TV, he decided he had enough.Â
The following day, he was hooking your collar around your neck and forcing you to go outside into the sunshine.Â
Your eyes burned as you stepped out beneath the sun's blazing beams. Days spent indoors, sleeping most of the daytime hours away, had accustomed you to darkness. It was hot and you already wanted to go back inside but one pitiful look towards Kyle told you that you were not getting out of this easily.
So you hang your head and allow him to lead you down the sidewalk. The military housing area was surprisingly quiet, the only sound was a lawnmower somewhere nearby.Â
Kyle was silent, content with keeping his hand on the small of your back, a kind, protective gesture to assure you that he was still there as you glared at the sidewalk.Â
Before you knew it, the quietness of the neighborhood grew louder and louder until you were walking through the gate of the hybrid-park.Â
You looked around, watching all the happy hybrids and owners running around and playing lighthearted rounds of soccer or football. Casting a glance to Kyle, he gives you a crooked, boyish smile.Â
âWhat do you wanna do?â he asks, glancing around, âWe can take a lap around the park if you'd like?âÂ
You shake your head, âCan we just sit?âÂ
âSure, sweetheart,â he coos, nudging you in the direction of an empty bench.Â
You both take a seat, and look out across the park. While the nights still got quite chilly, it was beautiful during the day - a soothing breeze that rustled the green leaves in the trees and clear blue skies that you could look at for hours.Â
You hated to admit it but - Kyle was right. You were starting to feel better, like a weight was being lifted off your shoulders. Being cooped up in the house didnât help anything, in fact it probably made things worse.
A hand patted your head and you looked over to see Kyle beaming, as if he could see the tension just melt off of you.Â
âI'm going to get us something to drink,â he muttered as he stood up, âLemonade okay with you?âÂ
You nod your head, fluffy ears bouncing atop your head as you do. Kyle has to resist the urge to reach out and pet them, forcing himself to turn around and find a drink stand to get the lemonade from.
You're staring off at a dog hybrid and a young boy playing a heated game of soccer when you hear your name being called.Â
Your head whips around to see Johnny standing there, tail wagging and eyes wide in shock. It's obvious he ran all the way over to where you are from the way his shoulders heave up and down with his heavy panting.Â
âI-â he clears his throat, thinking over what he wanted to say, âI've missed ye.âÂ
Your heart was pounding in your chest, making the blood rush in your ears, âJohnnyâŚâ
âCome home,â he says, desperate and breathless, âI miss ye and I want ye to come back.âÂ
âSimon doesn't want me, JohnnyâŚâ you mutter, feeling shame burn at your cheeks as you look down at your hands - nails neatly filed down by Kyle just a few days ago.Â
âTo hell with him!â he spits, âI want you back, isn't that enough?âÂ
Your frown deepens. His selfishness ignites irritation within you, tears pricking at the backs of your eyes.Â
âWhy?â you ask, voice breaking as the word slips past your lips, âWhy should I have to live like that? Being hated while you get to be loved?â Johnny says your name but you cut him off before he can say anything else, âThat's not fair, Johnny. I have Kyle now and he loves me! I'm happy with him.â
âCan't ye be happy with me too?â he asks, sad, teary eyes cutting right through your heart.Â
âOf course I could Johnny butâŚâ before you can continue there's a sharp call of the pupâs name and both of you freeze.Â
Johnny looks over his shoulder to see Simon jogging up behind him, a fierce glare in his brown eyes. A rough, gloved hand grabs the back of the hybridâs collar.Â
âWhat the hell do you think you're doinâ runninâ off like that?â Simon snaps, anger masking the clear worry he had experienced at his missing companion.Â
âI was justâŚâ Johnnyâs eyes drift to you and that's when Simon acknowledges your existence.Â
The sneer on his face is clear even through the mask and it makes you shrink in on yourself, ears flattened back. Even after all this time, the sting of his rejection remains strong and hurts just the same.Â
âWhatâs a gutter rat like you doinâ here?â Simon snaps.Â
It annoys him that you're always at the source of his problems with Johnny. Whenever the pup misbehaves, you're always there. A bad influence. Typical cat.Â
You look at Johnny. He doesnât meet your gaze, instead staring up at his owner with an apologetic expression. You want him to speak up. You want him to defend you, to tell Simon to be nice or to apologize or tell him what you mean to him.Â
But Johnny just sighs, âSorry, Si.âÂ
The lack of defense towards you in the face of Simon solidifies everything for you in that moment. You look down at your lap, the crack in your heart only aching and stinging more and more with every beat of silence that passes between the three of you.Â
Something ice cold touches the back of your neck and you yelp, launching yourself off the bench and onto the ground. Laughter fills your ears and you turn to glare at Kyle who holds a large plastic cup of lemonade - the cold thing heâd just surprised you with.Â
âSorry, love!â he apologizes but the laughter shows he's anything but.Â
Soap speaks up then, asking if Kyle knows you. Your ownerâs brown eyes shine with pride as he affectionately ruffles your hair.
âFound them on the street and brought them home!â Kyle tells them, sounding much like a proud father, âBest decision of my life!â
Your cheeks burn at his praise, his kind, loving words remedy the painful stinging in your heart that had been brought on by your previous owner. You take the cup of lemonade when he offers it to you, taking a sip and cringing at the sour taste that hits your tongue â much to Kyleâs amusement.
âYou guys are welcome to come over anytime,â Kyle says, smiling as he affectionately pets your ears, âIâm sure this cute kitten would love to have a friend to hang out with.â
âYeahâŚmaybe,â Simon mumbles, sending you a sidelong glance that was cold and empty â telling you everything you needed to know without saying it. Absolutely not.
You find that you donât mind that much. The idea of never seeing Simon or his painfully hateful gaze was nice. But when you looked at Johnny, who was staring at you in despair â you find yourself mumbling in response, âMaybe someday.â
The hope in Johnnyâs eyes seers into your mind, even long after youâve parted ways and gone home for the day.Â
The days pass in relative ease. The depressive rut you found yourself in melts away and Kyle is thrilled to see that youâve returned to your bright, bubbly self. You greet him at the door when he walks in, sit and purr beside him while you both eat dinner together, curl up against his side and happily snooze the night away.Â
Itâs peaceful bliss.
But one evening, Kyle returns home and tosses his heavy duffle bag onto the floor with a thunk. You get up to greet him, stretching your arms high above your head before padding over to him with a sleepy smile on your face. Kyle opens his arms for you, letting you tuck yourself into his chest for a hug. A loud purr emanates from your chest that only seems to make Kyleâs shoulders drop.
âWhatâs the matter?â you ask when you catch a look at his face when he pulls away; brows furrowed and lips in a tight line.
âJust got some sad news, thatâs all, lovie,â he mutters, patting your head before he moves into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.
âWhat news?â you ask, following after him, tail swishing nervously behind you.Â
Did his parents pass away? Did a friend get hurt?
Kyle sets out some vegetables on the counter, hunting around for a knife before sighing, âYou remember Simon and Johnny? We met them at the park the other day?â
You nod your head, âOf course.â
âThere was an accident a couple days ago,â Kyle explains, slowly chopping up the celery on the cutting board, âJohnny got hit. He didnât make it. Simonâs tore up about it.â
It feels like everything freezes right then and there for you. You no longer hear the chopping of the knife, no longer hear Kyle's voice or the sound of traffic outside on the street. All you can hear is the pounding in your ears and the sound of your own breathing.
Images flash behind your eyes in your grief. You can see Johnnyâs boyish smile and his boisterous laugh emanating down the hallway. You can see him so clearly, wrapped around you as you snuggle and snooze together as the rain falls outside. You can hear the animated way he would tell you stories, waving his hands around and his tail thumping loudly on the floor.
You donât even realize youâre crying until you feel a hand cup your cheek. You blink away the tears and Kyleâs face comes into view, worry etched onto it.Â
âWhat is it, lovie? Why are you crying?â he asks, clearly concerned.
âJohnnyâs dead?â you ask, voice broken and wobbly as you fight to talk through tears.
âYeah, love,â Kyle coos, thumbing beneath your eyes to rub away some tears, âWhy are you so upset?â
Everything tumbles from your lips then. You tell him about how you lived on the street, how your life changed the day you met a rambunctious pup who wouldnât take no for an answer until he had himself a friend. You tell Kyle about how, even though Simon was awful to you, Johnny was a light in the dark and how much you adored him and how much he meant to you. You tell him how Simon threw you out like trash and how much it hurt and how much you missed Johnny despite everything.Â
Kyle held you through it all, tucking you tenderly against his chest as you cried it all out.
âI had no idea, lovie,â he whispers into your hair, pressing sweet kisses to your forehead when your breathing becomes erratic.Â
âI-I never got to settle things with him,â you wail, âHe wanted me to come home and I-I couldnât give him an answer.â
Kyle sighs, cupping the back of your head, rocking you back and forth until your cries quiet down to hiccuping sniffles, âItâll be alright, sweetheart. Everything will be okay.â
Truthfully, he doesnât know what else to say. He doesn't know how he can make this hurt go away or help you soothe the grief youâre experiencing. All he can do is hold you close and comfort you whenever you need.
This time, when Kyle notices how sad you are as the days pass, he doesnât force you to leave the house or do anything. He just lets your sadness run its course, doing what he can to ease your burden by making your favorite dishes and letting you watch your favorite movies over and over again until he can practically recite them by heart.
Thereâs a knock at the door that startles the both of you one evening. Kyleâs on his feet in seconds, hand drifting towards the firearm he keeps nearby before he looks through the peephole on the door and relaxes.Â
You peek over the back of the couch as he opens the door. Simon stands there.Â
Although he is masked, you can practically see how worn down and utterly devastated he is.Â
âWhatâs up?â Kyle asks, hand twitching to reach out for the older man but thinks better of it. âDo you need something?â
âI wanna talk to that one,â Simon nods in your direction, where youâre still peeking over the couch.Â
Kyle turns to look at you over his shoulder, asking your consent. You think it over for a few seconds before you nod your head. Not like Simon would do anything with Kyle here.Â
He steps aside to let the larger man enter and closes the door, giving an excuse about getting drinks before disappearing into the kitchen.
Simonâs heavy boots vibrate the floor as he takes a few large steps towards you. You scoot to the other side of the couch when he sits down, the couch bouncing with his added weight.
His hands are folded between his knees where he rests his elbows on them. His tattooed skin ripples and flexes as he nervously fidgets with his hands.Â
âJohnny wanted you to come home,â he starts out, staring intently at the floor. You swear you can see tears beading at his lower lash line as he says his companions name, âSo Iâm here to see if you will.â
âYou want me back?â you ask softly, anxiously pulling a pillow into your lap.
Simon nods, âItâs what Johnny wanted. He cared about you, loved you. Youâre all I have left of him.â
Youâre silent at that.Â
Despite everything, your heart aches for Simon. He adored Johnny more than anything â even if he hated you, his love for the pup was palpable. You could see it in his face every time he saw Johnny, eyes scrunching up happily. Johnny was his world and now that world was gone and Simon was left with nothing but bitter emptiness and a void that he was desperate to fill.Â
You found yourself opening your mouth, ready to agree â ready to be the one to soothe your ex-owners devastating hurt. But then you found yourself looking into the kitchen, to Kyleâs back. He was hunched over the counter, vigorously mixing something in a bowl and you realized that you didnât want to leave him.Â
Kyle was yours. Kyle was everything you could ever need or want. He wanted and loved you when you thought no one else would. He didnât give up on you even when you were difficult and cold. He cared about you, thought about you every day. He gave you everything you wished for so desperately during your time living with Simon.Â
âI canât,â you find yourself whispering, tears filling your eyes at how much it hurt to turn Simon away, âI know Johnny would want me to be with you, to make sure youâre okay without him butâŚI love Kyle and I want to stay with him.â
âSo thatâs it then?â Simon asks, voice small and weaker than youâve ever heard it before. You know thereâs a crushing weight on his heart right now, knowing he will be going home alone to a painfully empty and cold house.Â
âYeahâŚâ You whisper, unable to look up at him as he rises to his feet.Â
Kyle comes out of the kitchen with a steaming bowl in his hands, asking Simon if he was okay as he passes by him to the front door. The larger man just grunts in response and opens the door. The quiet click of it closing is all you hear of his departure before the warm bowl is in your lap.Â
Itâs a bowl of broth that makes your mouth water. The fact Kyle had made it for your just because warmed your heart.
âIs everything okay?â he asks, sitting down next to you, arm tossed over the couch behind you, fingers mindlessly stroking over the fuzzy surface of your ear.
âHe wanted me to go home with him,â you respond, taking a sip of the broth.
âYou said no?â he asks. You catch the worry in his tone â like he was scared you were going to tell him you were leaving him soon.
But you nod and his body relaxes in relief, âHe only wanted me back because I reminded him of Johnny. He didnât really want me, just the image of Johnny.â
Kyle nods, leaning over to kiss your temple, âThat man loved that pup. But Iâm glad youâre here to stay.â
You look over at him from over the bowl of broth as you sip it, âYeah?â
âI would have let you go if thatâs what you really wanted butâŚâ He looks a little sheepish as he continues, âIt would have hurt to see you go, kitty. I meant it when I said adopting you was the best decision of my life.â
You place the bowl down on the coffee table before launching yourself into his arms. He grunts as your weight slams against him, knocking him back onto the couch as he laughs. His arms wrap around you in a bear hug, squeezing you so hard that your ribs ache but you donât even think about trying to pull away.
Though you donât say it, he knows that youâre his to keep and that you love him just as much as he loves you. He couldnât imagine life without you now.Â
BONUS:Â
âI think my boss is gettinâ impatient to meet you, you know,â he mumbles in your shoulder.
âYour boss?â you ask, voice almost too quiet to hear over your loud purring.
âYeah, the old manâs been dyinâ to meet the cute kitten I talk about all the time at work,â he explains.
âYou talk about me?â you ask, peeking up shyly.
He grins, âAll the time. I think everyoneâs sick of my voice at this point. But the Captain's really been begging to come and meet you. Iâve been waiting for a good time to bring it up. Heâs a bit of a lover so youâd have to put up with all the pets and hugs he has to offer.â
Your eyes shine in interest, âI want to meet him!â
Kyle chuckles, reaching up to pet one of your twitching ears, âIâll make the call then and set up dinner.â
You were excited to meet a new person. You hoped he was as kind and gentle as Kyle was. And even though the idea of Simon sitting alone and hurt in his house with nothing but the memories of his best friend, you werenât going to let that stop you from opening up new chapters in your own life.Â
do not repost on other websites, translate, or modify. reblogs welcome!
#simon riley x reader#john mactavish x reader#kyle garrick x reader#simon ghost riley x reader#john soap mactavish x reader#kyle gaz garrick x reader#ghost x reader#soap x reader#gaz x reader#cod x reader
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wherever you are â hwang hyunjin.
hyunjin x fem!reader. childhood best friends to lovers. slowburn, pining. fluff, angst. suggestive. a hyunjin birthday special.
wc: 12.9k words.
warnings: reader often referred to as "girl," suggestive. mentions of sex.
note: this fic is my baby. it might be one of my favourite things i've ever written so far, please treat it well <3 feedbacks are very much appreciated.
playlist.
Hyunjin promised you that he'll be wherever you are. What do you do when your best friend of years â the only person you've ever loved disappears without saying goodbye? Especially when you've spent your entire life with Hyunjin, you didn't know of life without him.
one.
âHappy Birthday, Hyunjin.â
It was Hyunjinâs 10th birthday.Â
Despite already singing him a happy birthday song, you muttered the wish once again in the comfort of his tree house. He sat adjacent to you, feet dangling over the platform, the large leaves hovering over the tree houseâs roof providing shelter from the blinding sunlight.Â
He hummed in gratitude, eyes busy watching Kkami running around below the tree house. Afternoons with Hyunjin were often spent like this â hanging out in the tree house as Kkami played around on the grass, its barks mirroring its happiness. For years, youâve spent enjoying the fact that your afternoons were spent like this â were spent with Hyunjin, in childish innocence.Â
After letting the silence take over for a while, Hyunjin turned his head towards you, a little surprised once he saw that you were already looking at him. He tried his best to not let his surprise show.Â
âWhy did you want to come up here? I thought you were enjoying the party inside.âÂ
Indeed, you were enjoying the birthday party, a little too much for Hyunjinâs liking. The boys from Hyunjinâs school came to the party, and you seemed to get along with them quickly, despite being the only girl at the party. Hyunjin hates to admit it but he was a little envious. He told himself that heâs jealous because heâs your number one best friend, so you should pay more attention to him. It was true, but only partially â he was jealous because they were all boys. Not that he would ever admit that to himself.
To Hyunjinâs question, you responded by extending your arms to him, revealing a white box in your palm. He took it, quickly recognizing it as a jewellery box. Heâs received one of them after purchasing a Motherâs Day gift. Quietly, he examined the engravings on the box, and the pristine look of it. Honestly, he was impressed by how clean you have kept it. You had always been one to dirty your white clothes.Â
âWhatâs this?â he asked, answering his own enquiry by opening the box with you sitting close, peering over his hands.
Hyunjinâs heart skipped a beat.
In the box laid two necklaces, black strings with Lego pieces as pendants. They were matching necklaces. The Lego piece of each necklace formed a heart when joined together. His brown eyes widened, in disbelief of the gift. Heâs never received something like this â something matching. It made his heart flutter â no, it beat faster than it does while playing soccer. Hyunjin turned to look into your eyes, and it was as though he had found a new revelation in yours. The more Hyunjin looked at you, the more the realization seeped in, until it overtook his senses.
Youâre a girl.Â
You werenât just the kid from next door, you werenât like his other friends �� youâre a girl. You like Disney princesses, you have a pretty face, you like Sanrio characters, you have soft hair, you like painting nails, you have pink lips from your strawberry lip balm, you like matching necklaces â youâre a girl.Â
A very pretty girl.
It felt like a revelation after having been friends with you for over five years. As though the necklaces in the box held some sort of power to snap one from a trance. Hyunjin realized that you were different from his other friends. For one, you have softer hands. Moreover, youâre someone he can develop a crush on â or whatever girls call it.Â
His finger traced the pendants, feeling the bumps of the Lego pieces. He smiled, one that reached his ears. You felt yourself releasing the breath you didnât realize you were holding.Â
âI love it soooo much. Thank you.â
Unlike other boys (the stinky ones from your school), Hyunjin didnât cringe at the gift. The way he gently examined the necklaces mirrored the appreciation he felt towards it. If he was any other boy, he wouldâve probably laughed at the gift, then poked fun at you.Â
Then again, Hyunjin had never been like the other boys you knew.
He was different in the way he spoke softly to you (softer than he would to his guy friends), and how he would let you change the TV channel from Snoopy to Totally Spies. He had always been different, that being the reason why you were so fond of him.Â
âYou like it? Really?â you queried, staring at him. You watched his expressions carefully, trying to sense for any lies.
âReally! Which one do you want?â he answered, absolutely no hesitations. He wasnât lying.
Hyunjin panned the box towards you, prompting you to pick which necklace. One was in black, the other in white. As always, he gave in to you, letting you be the one to choose.Â
âWhite!â
The sun was setting when you both swayed your legs, wearing the matching necklaces. Hyunjin was genuinely happy, one of his hands wouldnât stop fiddling with the pendant. The party was still lively inside, but he much preferred sitting with you â his one and only best friend.Â
âYn,â your best friendâs voice broke you from your trance. âWhat do you want for your birthday?âÂ
âHm,â you pondered, tapping your pointer on your chin in a cartoonish manner.
He was looking at you, an expectant expression on his face. You pulled up your legs to cross them as you thought.Â
âI thinkâŚâ your voice trailed, âI want to be the best ballerina in the world and move to Paris!âÂ
Hyunjin rolled his eyes, âat least make it something I could give you!â
You pouted, âbut thatâs what I want!âÂ
The boy sighed, laying back on the rough surface of the tree house. He looked up, observing the little glow-in-the-dark stars plastered onto the tree house ceiling. He recalled putting them up with you. You were impossible to deal with. Hyunjin desperately wanted to know your wish â something he could give you for your birthday. Your gift to him made him really happy, and he wished to return the favour.Â
âThen, Iâll be the best artist in the world and move to Paris with you.âÂ
It was such an innocent, child-like answer â straight from a 10-year-oldâs desire. Untainted by the boulevard of broken dreams. As if anything in the world was possible, and that the universe was kind all the time.Â
âReally?â you chirped, looking at him with disbelief in your eyes. You giggled in glee and plopped yourself down beside him. âReally really? You really really really mean it, Hyunnie?âÂ
At that point, Hyunjin could only giggle and nod. âOf course! Iâll be wherever you are.â
The manner in which you hugged him expressed your excitement. You were practically suffocating him, wrapping your legs around his waist and squeezing tightly.Â
âYouâre my best friend in the world!âÂ
Hyunjin felt like he could die.Â
His heart continued beating rapidly, worsened by you nuzzling your face into his neck. Hyunjin knew, it was just you being your usual self. However, the revelation he experienced minutes earlier made the tips of his ears turn red.Â
âHyunjin! Come down here! Your friends are about to leave!â
At that very moment, Hyunjin silently thanked his mother for saving him.
two.   Â
âWhat do you want to be when you grow up?â
A question which had you staring into space â the walls of Hyunjinâs bedroom for a while. The blue walls were plastered with posters of numerous musicians and self-made artworks.
It wasnât that you didnât know the answer. You knew. Ballet had been a part of your life since small, it was your everything. It wasnât that you were unsure if you wanted to do ballet, you were unsure if you should be doing ballet.Â
Uneasiness settled into your stomach, but you tried to keep them in. You were in no mood to be going through an identity crisis.
âBallerina,â you stated, matter-of-factly. Your eyebrows furrowed when Hyunjin chuckled.
âWhat?â
âYour answer hasnât changed,â Hyunjin laughed, but not in a humorous way. Rather, it was in an expectant way, as if he knew thatâs what you would answer.Â
You straightened your posture and tilted your head. Hyunjin laughed even more, making a comment that you looked like Kkami.
âHave you asked me the same thing before?â
He nodded, âsort of? Kind of. On my tenth birthday, I asked you what you wanted.â Hyunjin cleared his throat and took a deep breath, mimicking the voice of younger you. âI want to be the best ballerina in the world and move to Paris!â
âOh, shut up!â you rumbled, hitting him with his bolster repeatedly. âThatâs not how I sounded like!â
âIt so was!âÂ
Truthfully, you couldnât quite recall the memory. You didnât doubt Hyunjin though, it did sound like something you wouldâve said.Â
You queried again.
âWhat did you answer then?âÂ
Hyunjin turned silent. He didnât like where this was going, not fond of recalling the cheesy answer he gave you. As he looked away from your gaze, you pressed him further. Even threatened to dog-nap Kkami.
âFine. I said⌠I said Iâll be the best artist in the world and move to Paris tooâŚâ his voice trailed, getting smaller, âsaid Iâll be wherever you areâŚâ
Your eyebrows raised, scooting closer to him in mock confusion. âSorry? Didnât hear you.âÂ
A pillow hit your head, and you burst out into peals of laughter. It was hilarious, the cheesy answer little Hyunjin gave, but what amused you even more was his face turning red.Â
Touches of laughter echoed in the room, and Hyunjin found himself praying the moment would last forever. The conversation quickly escalated into a pillow fight, ending up in Hyunjin leaning against his headboard, exhausted, and you laying on his lap.Â
You looked up at him, eyes fleeting to the stubble growing. Mindlessly, you grazed his cheek, feeling his sideburns prickling against your thumb.Â
He was growing, you realized it then. You were growing too. Neither of you were little kids anymore.
A fact you didn't want to accept.
Itâs the softness of your fingers that froze Hyunjin in his tracks. He held his breath, as if you would stop if he moved. He didnât want you to, wanted to let your fingers linger, to etch the sensation into his memories.Â
In a soft tone, you spoke, âDid you really mean it?â
âHm?â
âWould you be wherever I am?â
Hyunjinâs breath hitched, a lump growing in his throat. If he spoke, he feared his feelings would become too real. For as long as he could, he wanted to bury his feelings deep down. Life was already risky as it is, he didnât want to take any more.
Itâs platonic. Itâs platonic. Itâs platonic.
They repeated in his brain like a mantra. Maybe if he chanted it, itâll manifest to life.
âYeah,â Hyunjin swallowed, âof course I will. Youâre my best friend.âÂ
Like magic, your worries about the future disappeared into thin air. Would it be foolish to trust Hyunjin so much, that you believed life would be fine as long as he was with you?Â
Dear universe, be good to me.
You smiled, one that Hyunjin swore could light up the entire sky. The stars must envy you, for the way you could brighten up darkness effortlessly.Â
âIâll be wherever you are too.â
Yeah, Hyunjin would love it if time froze.
three. Â
Donât be a coward.Â
Four words Hyunjin told his reflection as he got ready. He was dressed in a basic tee and a pair of jeans, hair slicked back like the one time you told him it looked good. He spritzed his cologne behind his ears, on his neck, and on his wrist before repeating the four words again. This time, he whispered it, letting it soak into his brain, in hopes his heart would have courage.Â
Itâs been too long. The feelings he harboured for you piled overtime, the crush he once thought was temporary transforming into fondness. It was becoming too much for Hyunjinâs heart to bear, he needed to let it out. If he didnât, he felt like his heart could burst. And if it did, it would be confetti-shaped memories of you.Â
Chatters echoed outside your ballet academy, Hyunjin watched through the lowered window for your face among the sea of people. He had a plan in mind â heâd open the door for you, put the seatbelt on for you, and tell you about his feelings. In front of your academy wasnât the most ideal place for a confession, he knew, but God â he couldnât bear sitting in silence with you as a storm raged in his head. He couldnât do it. He wanted to say it as soon as he could.Â
Hyunjinâs eyes were still busy looking for you when suddenly, your face came in his peripheral vision, along with another face. The other person was lean, jet black hair with bangs and puppy-like eyes. The boy opened the door for you before Hyunjin could.Â
Okay, step number one failed.Â
âHey, Hyunnie!â your voice chirped, getting into the car. Your hand moved to buckle your seatbelt before Hyunjin could. He was too busy analysing the stranger in front of the door.
âHey,â Hyunjin replied nonchalantly, looking at the boy from head to toe. âAnd this isâŚ?â
âSeungmin. And you?â the boy said, tilting his head. To Hyunjin, he was being challenged. Seungminâs tone was more daring than he liked, so he felt an urge to one-up the guy.
âHyunjin. Been friends with Yn since were in diapers.â he replied, the extra detail a pathetic attempt at one-upping Seungmin.Â
Seungmin furrowed his eyebrows, nodding as he shut your door, âUh. Cool? Bye, Yn. And the friend since diapers.âÂ
Oh, Hyunjin really didnât like him.Â
âWait, Seungminnie!â you called out just as Seungmin was walking away. He looked back at the car, raising an eyebrow. You turned to Hyunjin with puppy eyes. âCan you give Seungminnie a ride? He takes the bus and I think the next oneâs in an hour.â
Hyunjin clenched his jaw, eyes fluttering from your pleading eyes to Seungminâs figure outside the car. If it was all up to him, he would probably run the guy over. But God knew how much he cherished you, how he would rather cut his tongue than tell you âno,â so he agreed.
âMm. Sure,â he replied, swallowing back a scoff.Â
Your eyes brightened, âSeungminnie! Come, weâll give you a ride!â you yelled, tempting Hyunjin to mock the nickname youâd given him.
It was going to be a car ride straight out of hell.Â
Hyunjinâs knuckles were white against the steering as he pulled up to Seungminâs residence complex. The building standing in front of him definitely belonged in a gated community, ritzy and luxurious. Somehow, that pissed Hyunjin off even more. He glanced at the unwanted guest sitting in the back seat through the rear-view mirror.
âWant me to drive you to the lobby, or what?â
Seungmin looked back into the mirror, peering at the reflection through his bangs. âNah. They donât let random cars in. Hereâs just fine,â he mumbled, unbuckling the seatbelt. âThanks, dude. Appreciate it.âÂ
The car door closed behind Seungmin, leaving the two of you in the car. Hyunjin sighed, feeling the nerves creeping up him again. Now that it was only the two of you, it was time for Hyunjin to confess his feelings.
Before he could, you spoke, âSeungminâs my friend in the academy. Heâs really smart,â your eyes didnât leave the crossroad before you, watching as Seungmin walked.Â
Hyunjin had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He tapped on your thigh, trying to gain your attention. It worked as you looked at him, batting your eyelashes. âHm?â
He licked his lower lip, mustering all the courage in him. It was now, or never. âLook, I have something to tell you.âÂ
âYeah?â
You shuffled in your seat, tilting your body slightly towards his way. Now that you had your full attention on him, Hyunjin felt even more nervous. He scratched the skin around his thumb, tongue-tied as his brain tried to form coherent words. Heâs never done this before, always made fun of his friends for struggling to express their feelings but now that he was in the same place, he wished he could take back all the insults. The brown eyes looking deeply (and anxiously) into yours were profusely blinking, as though he was at the brink of tears. You grew worried.
âHyunjin, whatâs up?â
He scratched at the back of his neck. Why did his tongue feel so numb? Why did his brain feel empty yet so full at the same time? His heartbeats were so fast, he couldnât quite catch up. Hyunjin was on a rollercoaster â you were waiting at the end of the ride.
Finally, he managed to muster words. âLook, Iâve pondered over ââ
Two knocks on the window at the back. Theyâre followed by the door opening, an exasperated Seungmin popping his head into the car. Immediately, you both looked back, utterly bewildered.Â
âSorry. I left my bag. Thank God youâre still here,â Seungmin said, grabbing his messenger bag and slipping it onto his shoulder. âThanks and sorry!â
The door closed, thus silence blanketed the atmosphere once again. This time, with unresolved tension. You looked back at Hyunjin, tilting your head in curiosity.
âYou were saying?âÂ
Dazed, the raven looked at you. His face was a mixture of exasperation and confusion. His head? There was a storm raging, along with curse words aimed at Seungmin.Â
âUmâŚâ He licked his lower lip, racking his brain to find back the words he wanted to say. They were all lost. He was already at the end of the rollercoaster, the bumps along the way forgotten, and the thrill subsided. All thatâs left was the remnants of anxiety. He couldnât do it anymore, not when heâs forgotten the things he wanted to say, and the moment disturbed by your dear friend Seungmin.
So, he put the gear on to drive. He shook his head and made up a white lie.
âI think I want to try a new ice cream place today.â
four. Â
The taste of cookies and cream could not beat the bitterness on Hyunjinâs tongue.Â
It may be because the bitterness has seeped into his head.Â
âIâm going to your room,â you announced, swinging the front door of his house open. âHi, Mrs Hwang!â you cheered, running up the stairs after.Â
âIâm going to talk to my mom a little bit,â Hyunjin said, hanging both your coats on the coat hanger.Â
Nothing couldâve prepared Hyunjin for what was to happen next.Â
Both his parents were crowding the kitchen countertop when he walked in, skimming through a piece of paper. They were beaming, eyes crinkled as they smiled. A reminder that Hyunjin resembled both his parents. He blinked in confusion as to why his parents looked so happy. He didnât think he'd seen them this happy before.
âWhatâs going on?â he questioned, peering over their figures to look at the paper.Â
On the paper were words heâd only seen in his dreams. Never in a million years he wouldâve thought itâd manifest to life. His heart skipped a beat as he read the words over, and over.Â
âYou made it, sweetheart,â his motherâs soft voice spoke, confirming his suspicion. âYou got accepted. Beaux-Arts de Paris.â
âEomma,â he mumbled, as if he was pleading. Pleading for this dream to stop. Somebodyâs got to wake him up from this nightmare of a day. âThereâs no way.âÂ
Hyunjin picked up the letter, inspecting it closer. As though if he looked any closer, the words on the pristine white paper would change. Reject him. Or maybe, the logo of the prestigious school would magically transform into a logo of a school in Seoul. Anything, anything, that would keep him here. In Seoul. With you.Â
âYou did it, sweetheart. Your dreams are coming true,â his mother keenly said, pulling him into a side hug. âIâm so proud of you.â
His dream? It was his dream, and, yours. No, scratch that â it wasnât truly his dream. It was yours. His dream had always been to be wherever you are.Â
He didnât think he would be accepted. When you told him you were rejected from the Paris Ballet School, he told you that he was rejected, too. He didnât tell you that he was waitlisted, under the impression that he was never getting out of the waitlist. What was he to tell you now?Â
Hyunjin hid his sadness, wanting to make his parents proud, âYeah. I did it. Iâm so happy, eomma, appa.âÂ
A series of praises left his parents, and he allowed for them to engulf him in a hug.Â
âDonât tell Yn, âkay?â he muttered, before excusing himself to go upstairs. The acceptance letter was neatly folded, tucked into his pocket. Â
When he swung his bedroom door open, you were standing in front of his full-length mirror. Clad in only his t-shirt, you inspected yourself.Â
âHey, Hwang Hyunjin,â you muttered, turning your body. âYour clothes are bigger than me now. You used to be so small.â
You looked at him, mock dismay in your face. âI was so much taller than you before. You were a dwarf.âÂ
How was he meant to tell you about Paris?
âI was never a dwarf. You were just too busy looking down on me.â
Giggles left both of you. Silently, he observed the way you were examining yourself. You had the mannerisms of a ballerina, each gesture as gracious as your dance. Hyunjin adored the curves of your body, but God knew he loved that of your smile even more.Â
Later, you were both laying on his bed, you in a starfish position. Hyunjin was at the edge of his bed, trying his best to not fall.Â
âBallet was so hard today,â you sighed. You turned your body sideways, burying your face into Hyunjinâs chest. He could smell you in this closeness.
âAre you wearing my deodorant?â he queried, bowing to clasp his nose onto your shoulder. It felt like a kiss to him. âThis is literally the smell of my deodorant.âÂ
You shrugged. âYeah? What about it? You shouldâve gotten used to me taking your things by now, Hwang Hyunjin. Iâve been doing this our whole lives.âÂ
TouchĂŠ. The boy sighed, letting you fill in the silence with your babbles. Wordlessly, he listened to your words, letting it be the white noise to his thoughts.Â
His head was clearly not there. Unbeknownst to him, you knew of this. Heâd been off all day. Youâve picked up on each signal, knowing him like the back of your hand. As much as you wanted to know what was wrong, you knew not to pry. You resorted to comfort instead.Â
Your fingertips met at the back of his neck, pulling him into a tight hug. He was never one for physical touch but sometimes, it helped. You leaned your head into his neck.Â
Gingerly, you whispered the words you thought he would need.Â
âYouâre always here, around me. You donât know how much that means to me.â
The exact words he did not need to hear that day.
How was he meant to tell you of his feelings now?Â
Especially when he was leaving â oceans away.Â
five. Â
Hyunjin had always loved soccer.
Whether it be being in the bleachers, or playing in the field. He loved doing both. There was something about the thrill of watching people play, and the adrenaline as he chased around the field.Â
Sitting in the bleachers, Hyunjin watched as his soccer team played. The sounds of his teammates laughing made the blazing sun a little more bearable. He lowered his cap to prevent the sunlight from getting in his eyes, chuckling when he saw Beomgyu falling face-first onto the grass.
He loved his soccer team. Every time he observed them play, Hyunjinâs heart always got overwhelmed with pride and joy. At that moment, he felt melancholy taking space too â the thought of not being able to play with them anymore hurting him more than he thought it would.Â
Hyunjin allowed for the melancholy to take space, allowed himself to feel â so much so that he didnât feel Minhoâs presence. Not until the older cleared his throat.Â
Minho sat beside him, âWhy the long face, Hwang Hyunjin?âÂ
âHuh?â startled, he looked up, face softening when he saw Minho. âOh. Nothing. Youâre not playing?â
âNah,â Minho replied curtly. He silently analyzed the youngerâs facial expressions before speaking up again. âFor someone whoâs going to Paris in two weeks, you sure donât look too happy.â
Of course, Minho out of all people would notice the change in his mannerisms. Always the analyzing one, quick to notice changes in demeanour. There was no point in lying, not with Minho â so he let out the sigh he didnât realize he was holding.Â
âItâs bittersweet, you know?â he mumbled, fiddling with his fingers.
âItâs Yn, isnât it?âÂ
âHuh?â
âYou donât want to part ways with her. Itâs whatâs holding you back.âÂ
Right on. It was as though Minho was a mind-reader. A heavy weight pulled on Hyunjinâs heartstrings, made his heart even heavier than a few minutes prior.
âYeah,â he didnât lie, again. He looked at Minho, and the older could clearly see the uneasiness written all over his face. âIf you were me⌠would you tell her about your feelings?â
âThe fact that you like her?â
âYeah.â
Minho fell silent. He pondered over the question, looking at the sight before him. The sun was setting, orange hues painting the sky. Hyunjin wondered if Paris sunsets would look the same.
âI thinkâŚâ Minho turned towards the younger. He shook his head. âI wouldnât tell her.âÂ
âWhy?â
âWonât benefit you, I donât think.â Hyunjin raised an eyebrow. âListen. If you were to tell her, and she accepted, do you think you could get into a relationship with her?â
âI mean ââ
Minho cut him, âRealistically, do you think the relationship would succeed? I mean, the time zone between Seoul and Paris is pretty big. The distance, too. I donât think it would work out. And thatâll be bad, you know? Youâll both be left wondering what could have been.â
The truth hurt. The distance, the time â none of them were on Hyunjinâs side.Â
âAnd, if, God forbid, if she were to reject you⌠do you really want your last memory with her to be the hurt youâll feel?â
Hyunjin shook his head. The other sighed, and patted him on the back.Â
âThere are things better left unsaid. You should take her out. Spend your last time with her nicely.â
Despite Hyunjinâs stubbornness, he took Minhoâs advice. It took him a lot of contemplating (and crying), but he followed it anyway. Whether he liked it or not, Minhoâs advice had a lot of truth in it.Â
Bitter truths, but true regardless.
six.
âWhere are we going?â you whined, trailing behind your dear friend. The sun was setting in two hours, orange hues were beginning to paint the sky. âHyunnie, if you donât tell me where weâre ââ
âPlease, stay patient. Will you?â
Hyunjin looked behind. He was wearing a blue knitted vest. In one hand, he held a picnic basket. The other, is your handbag. You never have to carry your own with him.
âBut weâre literally in the middle of nowhere!âÂ
âPlease just trust me,â he pleaded. One hand was stretched towards you, a silent offer to hold his. âCome. If youâre too tired, Iâll give you a piggyback ride.â
Ever the opportunist, you took up on the offer. Alas, Hyunjin was left walking the remaining distance, you happily singing road trip songs while clinging onto his back. To butter him up, you told him that he mustâve been a blessing sent to you by God. Although he groaned at the remark, you couldnât see the small smile on his face.
After a few minutes, you understood why Hyunjin was adamant about going out that day. Before you, green plains stretched as far as your eyes could see. Scattered across viridian shades were wildflowers. Some yellow, some pink.Â
Hyunjin had brought you to a flower field.
The picnic basket, and the Polaroid camera finally made sense.Â
Without any more words, you jumped off his back and ran into the field. The yellow sundress you wore matched that of the wildflowers. In Hyunjinâs eyes, you blended right in.Â
You were as pretty as the flowers.Â
âCareful, Yn! Donât fall!â He called out, his voice echoing in the space. He watched you from afar. There was an urge to run among the flowers too, but he was much more content with watching you.Â
From a distance, in silence, he observed your every move. He couldnât help the giggles that left his lips. The smile that lingered on his lips. He wanted this memory to last, to be ingrained in his brain forever. Soon, he wouldnât be able to witness your happiness.Â
âHyunnie, you need to come here! Itâs so nice!â
Chuckling, he carefully placed the picnic basket on the ground. Hyunjin was done with setting up the picnic spot. He ran towards you, lifted you off the ground and twirled you around. You broke out into giggles and held onto his arms.Â
Among the flowers, two silhouettes danced with each other. Swaying to the same melody as the peonies. Despite being a ballerina, you kept stumbling onto Hyunjinâs feet, giggling each time he elicited an âow.âÂ
Like a scene from a movie.
Like he wasnât going away soon.
Before the sun could set, Hyunjin convinced you to sit on the picnic blanket. He wished to dance with you longer, but alas, time awaits for no mortal.Â
âHow do you want me to pose?â you asked. You were facing him, legs tucked sideways.
Hyunjin scooted closer to you, and wiped breadcrumbs off your lips. He commented on you eating messily. âYou can pose however you want.â
You nodded, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. âOkay. Make sure you get my good angles, yeah?â
âYou look good from any angle.âÂ
Crimson crept up your face. You hadnât expected that remark. You hoped he wouldnât see you blush, you would just tell him itâs the sun then.Â
âOkayâŚâ
Two clicks, then a flash went off. Your eyes widened, caught off-guard.
âYou didnât even count to three!âÂ
Your whines were responded to with a giggle. The camera whirled, apprising you of a Polaroid developing. Hyunjin took it, fanning the Polaroid with a grin. He was excited to see it.
âI wasnât ready!â
âCandid photos are better,â he sighed. âDonât you know? Everythingâs prettier when itâs genuine.â
âSo youâre calling me pretty?â
âYeah,â he mumbled. âHave I ever said youâre ugly?â
Right. He has never.Â
You prayed to God the heat on your face was from the sun and not from blushing.
Once the Polaroid fully developed, Hyunjin made sure he was the first to see it. To your dismay, he held it close to his face, shielding it from you. His cheeks dimpled, illustrating his happiness. You looked so pretty, the sunlight on your face giving you an angelic glow. If he looked closer, he was sure heâd see a halo.Â
Hyunjin wanted to keep this forever.Â
If he couldnât freeze the time, he figured heâd trap the memories in photographs.
âLet me see!â you whined. âItâs a picture of me! I have the right to see it.â
Scampering towards him, you waved your hands, trying to get the photograph off his hand. To no avail, Hyunjin had quick reflexes much thanks to his soccer experience.Â
âNo! You canât â itâs for my eyes only!â
âRidiculous! Thatâs my face, Hyunnie!â
âItâs my camera film. So itâs mine!â
Neither one of you would let up, legs entangling against each other as you fought over the photograph. He was determined to not let you even see the picture. One of your palms pressed against the picnic blanket, the other reaching up towards his hand. Hyunjin used his free hand to push you gently but alas, he underestimated his own strength. In one swift move, you lost your balance, toppling over him.Â
âOw,â he fell back and winced in pain. He looked up, and all the back pain was suddenly replaced by shyness. There you were, on his lap â face just as flushed as his.Â
Hyunjin didnât know what to do now.Â
Pathetically, he just stared into your eyes, finding himself getting caught in them. He could feel your hitched breaths against his chest, he was very aware of your trembling fingers on his arms. There was a strong urge to kiss you as his eyes fell onto your lips. He wondered how theyâd feel on his lips. He imagined it in his head â missing the way your eyes stared at his lips too.Â
If you were a flower, Hyunjin would be a bee. He desired you, eyes tracing the shape of your lips. Over, and over. If he kissed you, would your lips taste like honey?Â
He ought to find out. Hesitantly, he inched his head closer to yours. The warmth of your breath against his skin marked the closeness between you.
Numerous scenarios flashed in Hyunjinâs mind. Of him kissing you senseless, then whispering a love confession in your ear. Of your cold fingers pressing into his skin as he tells you each perk of yours that he loved endlessly. The more he imagined, the closer he was. You shut your eyes, waiting for his lips to finally press onto yours.Â
Paris. The one-way plane ticket to Paris.
Against his heartâs desire, his fingers cupped your chin instead. Subtly, he pulled back, eyes trailing back up to your eyes. He ignored the look of confusion in your eyes.
Reaching down, he pocketed the photograph. His heart clenched as he spoke, but he did anyway.Â
âI win.â
The two words pulled you from your trance â they tore off your heart like paper. You blinked, watching the playful smirk that graced Hyunjinâs porcelain face.Â
âOh.â
The whole journey home, bitterness sat on Hyunjinâs tongue like the aftertaste of tangerine pulp. Did you want the kiss too, or had his libido fabricated things?Â
Nevertheless, he couldnât kiss you. Not when he had suitcases packed for Beaux-Art de Paris. Not when itâs all his parents could talk about.Â
Minhoâs words played in Hyunjinâs mind like a broken record. They served as a reminder of what could not be. For the sake of his heart, he told himself that it had all been a figment of his imagination.
Tension cloaked the front door of your house. Neither of you made a noise, save for the jingling keys in your carabiner. You observed Hyunjin, who was busy looking at his shoes. Once again, his mind wasnât in his head. It had been that way for a few weeks.Â
âSee you soon?â you mumbled.Â
Hyunjin looked up, nodding at your words. He pulled you into a hug, one that almost crushed your bones. Shakingly, he nuzzled his head into your neck, burying his face into the skin like you would dissolve if he didn't. It mustâve hurt his back but you made no comment, instead you wrapped your arms around his neck, in hopes it'll give him solace. By the front door you held him, so tight that it was as though the two of you were one, the curves of his fingers burning through your skin.
You didnât know that it was a goodbye. It had to stay that way.Â
Once more, his heart clenched in his chest. Two hands cupped your cheeks, as gentle as he could be, like you would break. He engraved this version of you into his memory â kind eyes boring into his with a soft smile plastered across the face he'd grown to adore. He vowed to always remember this face.Â
Deeply, he inhaled his breath. Preparing the next words â lies to say to you, no matter how tight his chest felt.
âYeah, see you soon.â
The last words Hwang Hyunjin muttered to you.Â
seven. Â
One day before your birthday.Â
It had been two days since Hyunjin brought you to the meadow. You hadnât seen him much, just glimpses of him as he played around with Kkami in his backyard. You figured that he was busy.
âHello, Iâm home!â you said in a sing-song voice as you stepped into the Hwang household. Kkami whoâd usually greet you wasnât in his usual spot, so you trudged straight to the kitchen, where Hyunjinâs mother was sitting. âHi, Mrs Hwang.âÂ
She looked up, lips twitching into a smile, a cookie-cutter of Hyunjinâs. Under the kitchen light, you donât miss the dried tears by her eyes. You pursed your lips, wondering if she was watching a sad drama. Hyunjin inherited his trait of easily crying from his mother, after all.Â
âHi, sweet girl,â she looked at your outfit from head to toe. âWhy are you all dressed up?â
âOh,â you muttered, giving her a little twirl. âMy birthday outfit! Is it pretty?â
âOf course.â
You smiled at her, fiddling with the hem of your blouse. Keenly, you looked around the kitchen for any traces of Hyunjin. You realized that the house seemed much quieter than usual, emptier than normal.Â
âWhereâs Hyunjin?â you asked. The reason why youâd come over was to show your best friend your birthday outfit. Now that you were there, he was nowhere to be seen. âIs he home?â
Sympathy materialized in the motherâs old eyes. She tilted her head at you, lips pursing as she thought of the correct words to say.Â
âMy girl, did he not tell you?â
Confusion would be an understatement. Hyunjin told you everything, everything â from pointless thoughts to his deepest, darkest secrets. You were his secret keeper, his companion â there was nothing he wouldnât tell you.
Was there?Â
It had to be something unimportant, right? Perhaps he was off to an art workshop and forgot to tell you. But looking at his mother, it felt like something big. You grew anxious under her sympathetic gaze.Â
âTell me what?â you questioned, letting out a nervous chuckle.
âWe just came back from Incheon Airport. Heâs on a plane to Paris,â the lady replied. She stood up, inching closer towards your trembling figure. âDid he not tell you, Yn? I thought he did.â
âParis?â you asked, blinking. âLike. For a vacation?â
âNo, sweetheart. Beaux-Arts de Paris. He got into the school.â
The words felt like bullets on skin, penetrating and chagrining you deeply. It felt unreal â a hoax.
You scoffed, âWhat? He wouldnât go without telling me.â Your eyes searched for humour in his motherâs eyes. âIs this like, a birthday prank?â
Her eyes saddened even more. âNo, sweetheart. He really went.â
Another betrayal came in the form of tears cascading down your eyes without warning. The emotions hit you faster than your brain could process things. Speechless, you took steps back from his mother, before running up the staircase to his room.Â
He had to be there. Sitting in his swivel chair and laughing at your face. Heâll tell you it was a prank and wipe away your tears.Â
Hyunjin was your best friend of a lifetime. He wouldnât do this to you. He had to be there.
When the door to his room swung open, a sob was knocked out of your mouth.Â
All traces of life in the bedroom were gone, save for the soft purrs of Kkami sleeping on the bed. The bed was stripped of its bedsheets, and the towels hanging behind the door were gone. The laundry bag was empty.Â
All traces of Hyunjin were gone.Â
The realization hit harder than his motherâs words. If the words hurt like bullets on skin, the sight of Hyunjinâs lifeless room felt like a knife twisted in your gut. It felt like sanguine dripping from wounds, and Hyunjinâs holding the knife. It felt like a betrayal.Â
âHyunjin,â his name slipped from your lips like a plea. âHyunjin.âÂ
More choked sobs escaped your windpipes as you searched around the room. First, it was his wardrobe. The oak material was practically empty, all that remained were a couple of sleep tees and the shirts youâve left over the years. You rummaged through the hangers, finding that he had brought one of your sweatshirts along.Â
The confirmation of his departure was the emptiness of his study table. Each nook and cranny of his table used to feel like Hyunjin, from the stacks of sketchbooks to eraser dust. Everything was Hyunjin â but at that moment, there was nothing. There was only a void â that of his desk and your heart.Â
Your best friend was truly gone.Â
âHyunjin,â the name wrestled its way past your lips again. This time, it was out of longing. âHyunjin.âÂ
The manner in which you walked to his bed echoed your feelings. Quivering, like a toddlerâs first time walking. Your body fell onto the bed, earning a soft whine from Kkami. Gently, you held Kkami in your arms, letting a stream of tears cascade down your cheeks. For the first time in a while, you allowed yourself to cry, to feel, to mourn.Â
If someone were to tell you that Hyunjin out of all people would make you cry that much, you wouldâve laughed. Never in a million years, youâd say. The only times he had made you cry were from laughter.Â
âKkami,â you cried. The chihuahua nuzzled its head into your arms, as though it could feel your sorrow. Perhaps it could. âI miss Hyunjin.â
The dog whined. It looked up to you, placing its paw onto your arm. You cried even more.Â
âI wanted to tell him about how I feel today,â through sobs, you managed to speak. âHow could he make me feel so many things in one day and disappear the other? He didn't even say goodbye.â
It felt like the chihuahua was mourning with you â the way it nudged its head onto your arm, letting out soft whimpers. As though it was telling you that things will be okay.Â
You werenât sure that it would. You spent your whole life with Hyunjin by your side, you had never known life without him. Now that he was ripped from your grasp, you didnât know how to go on. No â he voluntarily released himself from your grasp, without warning. It was worse.Â
Physical traces of Hyunjin in his room were gone. There was only his scent â the smell of his shampoo, and his cologne. It lingered in the room, mocking you.
In your melancholic state of mind, you could only weep.
eight.Â
âCoffee, or tea?â
A female voice broke Hyunjin from his trance. He looked up at the stewardess standing by his seat, the sweatshirt doused in your scent crumpling in his tight grip.Â
âI want to get off this plane,â sat on his tongue and dissolved. He took a deep breath.Â
âUm,â he looked at the cart, âPlain water, please?â
Coffee would only force Hyunjin to stay awake, forcing him to listen to his own brainâs torments for 14 hours straight. Tea reminded him too much of you, of the times when you were little and would make him play tea party with you. Heâll think about the times youâd cheekily kiss his cheek, an attempt to woo him into playing with you. It worked each time.Â
The stewardess nodded, handing him a water bottle branded with the aeroplaneâs logo. He muttered a thank you, yet the stewardess still didnât walk away. She looked nice, her eyes analyzing Hyunjin told him that he mustâve looked like the epitome of a wreck. Â
âFirst time flying?â she questioned. It wasnât his first time, having gone on many vacations before yet he nodded. âI see. Itâll be fine, just sit back and relax.â
The woman, whose name tag said Chaewon flashed Hyunjin a hospitality smile â one he didnât think he deserved â then walked away. Hyunjin pursed his lips, wishing that she hadnât walked away. He didnât want to be left alone with his thoughts, he didnât want to be awake, he didnât want to be in this plane â there were a lot of things he didnât want to do, but had to do.Â
Hyunjin wanted to turn back.
Silently, he looked out the window, watching as the landscapes of Seoul grew smaller, slowly becoming covered with clouds. He desperately wished to get out, praying to God that the plane would miraculously turn back and the tableau of Seoul would become bigger. Had he told the stewardess named Chaewon he wanted to get off, would they have let him? Had he told his parents he didnât want to go to Paris, would they have understood?
If he tells you heâs sorry, would you forgive him?Â
Regrets and memories clouded his mind, tears making their way down his cheeks. Each thought strangled his heart, and he could feel it physically aching. In a melancholic state of mind he sat, clinging onto your sweatshirt like it was his lifeline, allowing slumber to slowly take over.Â
The break from his own thoughts did not last long enough.
Seven hours later, Hyunjin woke up to dried tears on his cheeks. He straightened his posture and glanced at the window, feeling a wave of emotions at the change of landscapes. Hyunjin wasnât sure in which city they were flying over, but he could say with certainty that it did not look like Seoul. It did not feel like home, it did not feel like you.Â
Unable to fall back to sleep, he couldnât help the thoughts that poisoned his mind. Looking over the landscapes, he came to a realization much too painful for his heart to bear.Â
You and him â you were the Sun, and he was the Moon. Two people of different circumstances, whoâll never meet, ripped away from the merciless hands of time. For your timezones were different â horizons even more.Â
As a wave of new tears descended, Hyunjin wondered if he would ever forget about you.
The answer came to him one afternoon three years later, as he laid on the couch in his Parisian apartment.Â
No, heâd never forget about you. At least not in three years. Maybe not even in five.Â
Sunlight seeped in through the balcony, providing Hyunjin the warmth he wasnât able to receive from a person. His roommate was a French guy who was always out and about, leaving Hyunjin to soak in his own company for hours on end. Sometimes, for days. Hyunjin loved and hated it at the same time.Â
His limbs stretched across the burgundy couch, a yawn eliciting past his lips. Brown eyes stared at the canvas in front of him, black and white hues scattered on white, forming a half-finished painting of you.Â
Years later, and you remained at the back of his mind â his muse.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
nine. Â
There are five stages of grief.Â
Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, then acceptance. Denial was the hardest for you, having spent your entire birthday staring at the front door of your house, praying Hyunjin would walk in. When your friends sang you a Happy Birthday, it sounded like a morose ballad playing from a broken record. Without Hyunjin, gloom sat at the centre of even the happiest things.Â
Then came a sixth stage â one that seemed to exist for you.
Motivation.
After coming to acceptance that your best friend had gone, without any farewell, you spent many hours a day in the ballet studio. Pirouette, arabesque, pliĂŠ â you managed to polish each move with the amount of time you spent cooped up in the studio. You werenât born with ballet feet, but the times spent in pointe shoes had somehow moulded you into having them.Â
Perhaps, it was distraction, disguised as motivation.
Nevertheless, the tireless hours of practice granted you a position in the Paris Ballet School.
Paris felt bittersweet when you first landed. It was the city of your dreams, but the reminiscence of the person it took from you made you loathe it.Â
Withal, life had to go on. To cope with the Parisian lifestyle, you managed to get a job at a cafe near your academy â Desir Cafe. You worked night shifts as a kitchen crew but if traffic was overwhelming in the afternoons, your shitty excuse of a boss would make you come in anyway.
Unfortunately for you, it was one of those days. Clinks and sizzles reverberated in the kitchen, the peg board overwhelmed with sticky notes of orders. You were everywhere in the kitchen, from piping icing on cupcakes to sprinkling chocolate rice on pastries.Â
âYn,â the main baker yelled, âTell Double Câs we canât stock up on macarons! Weâre out of almond flour!âÂ
The Double Câs â Charlotte, and Colette. They were a duo who worked as waitresses, always gossiping. Birds of the same feather, attached by the hip.Â
Exasperated, you headed to the front, swinging the kitchen door open to see the duo gossiping. Charlotte was leaning in towards Colette, whispering into her ear, earning giggles from the other. You sighed, wondering what the topic was that afternoon. Curious as to who they were gossiping about, you looked towards the direction they were looking.Â
Seated alone at the corner of the cafe was a guy, blonde hair gleaming golden from the sunlight seeping through the big window. His utmost focus was on the sketchbook in front of him, frail fingers dancing across paper, entrancing any eyes which fell upon him. You couldnât help but stare, your face gradually contorting into disbelief.
He resembled too much like Hyunjin â your Hyunjin.Â
Your gaze lingered on the man, analyzing each crease of his face, matching it with the one you had in mind. He looked just like Hyunjin, from the shape of his nose to the mole under his eye. The only difference was the hair. Hyunjinâs hair was raven black, but the person in the cafe had golden blonde hair. You felt your throat tighten. If the man sitting at the corner was him, then time had done good on him. He was beautiful, face sculptured beautifully by timeâs gentle hands.
âOoh, look whoâs ogling!â a high-pitched voice interrupted you. You looked up to see the Double Câs looking at you, wiggling their eyebrows mischievously. Charlotte smirked, âThink the guyâs cute?â
âHuh? What guy?â you lied, feeling your cheeks heat up.Â
Colette rolled her eyes. âThe dude over there! Donât lie, you think heâs cute.â The brunette wiggled her eyebrows even more, subtly pointing at the man.Â
You didnât say anything else, but your eyes travelled back to the familiar silhouette. The sense of familiarity tugged on fragile heartstrings the more you looked at him. Colette could sense your curiosity, so she parted her lips to speak.
âThatâs Hyunjin. Heâs a student in Beaux-Arts de Paris,â she muttered, unbeknownst to her the mixed emotions that dawned upon you. âHe comes here almost every afternoon. Maybe thatâs why youâve never seen him before. Heâs cute, isnât he?â
Excitedly, Charlotte nodded her head. âA total heart-throb, honestly.â
âI meanâŚâ your voice trailed, âHeâs quite alright.â
How were you supposed to react to finally seeing the one who got away? Were you supposed to feel excited, or upset? It was like the moon had suddenly dropped down onto your lap.Â
You were confused.
Charlotte continued speaking, not realizing the mixture of emotions in your face. âSometimes, the students have exhibitions about ten minutes from here. His artworks always make it to the exhibitions. Iâve seen them, and theyâre really beautiful.â
You turned towards her, âExhibitions?â
She nodded, still naive as to your shift in behaviour. âI think the school has an exhibition every three months or so.â
Unfaltering, your eyes bored holes in Hyunjinâs back. He was in his own little world, evidently absorbed in whatever piece he was working on. Just like that, the memories you spent years suppressing came rushing back.Â
It was unfair, the impact he had on you. There he was, lounging in a corner while your heart grappled in your chest. He looked older, better â and you were still the little girl in the tree house. Swaying your feet as they dangled, as though you had all the time in the world.
Charlotte and Colette exchanged looks as you stared at him. To them, you were simply developing a crush on a stranger. They wouldnât understand the conflict brewing in you, they wouldnât be able to comprehend the ache that stirred in the depths of your heart.
âWhat? Youâre interested in him?â Charlotte spoke, breaking you off your trance. You looked at her, blinking. âDonât even try. Iâve tried. I think heâs gay.â
Your eyebrows furrowed. âWhat?â
âHeâs not gay â oh my god, Lottie!â it was Coletteâs turn to speak. Playfully, she smacked the otherâs arm. âI asked that guy heâs always with, the songwriter â Felix. Cute guy, that one. Felix told me that heâs got a secret lover or something.â
âSecret lover?â
âYeah. Apparently, he likes to draw this one girl. His sketchbookâs filled with her,â Colette murmured, glancing at Hyunjin. âFelix asked her who she was, and he said itâs a girl of his dreams.â
Your heart dropped. You werenât sure to which news you should react first, either Charlotte hitting up on your Hyunjin, or that he has a secret lover. Either way, it made you pathetically jealous. Your heartstrings thrummed in anger as you imagined a beautiful French girl spread out on his bed, and Charlotte hitting up on your Hyunjin.
How could he go on with his life when you spent years mourning him?
Crimson tainted your lip as you bit on it hard, the taste of metal at the tip of your tongue.Â
Perhaps, you never made it past the anger stage of your grief.
ten.
You truly tried to be happy for Hyunjin.
For days, weeks â you spent convincing yourself that you had to be happy for him. Sure, he hurt you three years ago. Sure, you spent years in agony, regretting not telling him how you felt earlier, wondering what couldâve been. Sure, you hoped that youâd see him in Paris and heâd tell you that heâs in love with you and kiss you senseless â but those were just desperate prayers, werenât they? Those were simply hopeful scenarios. You hadnât expected them to come true, had you?
Hyunjin was your best friend of years. He deserved happiness, even when you didnât feel happy. You had to let things go. You had to be happy for him.
Clearly, you failed at convincing yourself.
In front of a building you stood, the sound of people walking past becoming white noise. You stared at the banner standing in front of you, the words Autumn Exhibition displayed, with the logo of Beaux-Arts de Paris at the top. You swallowed the lump forming in your throat.
A week ago, Charlotte told you that the university would be holding another exhibition, and Hyunjinâs artworks most likely made it into the exhibition. You knew then, that you had to go. If you didnât get to see him, then you at least wanted to see his pieces. To not be a part of his life was devastating, you wished to at least witness glimpses of it.Â
9:45 p.m. was displayed on your screen, people were beginning to leave the exhibition. There werenât many people around, which was what you were hoping for. Visiting the exhibition in daylight meant potentially bumping into Hyunjin, and you werenât sure if you were ready for that.
One day you ought to meet him, but not today. Not when the fragments of your heart have yet to be mended.
After taking a deep breath, you willed yourself to step into the exhibition. A gust of wind hit your face, and you shivered, clutching your coat tight. The art display seemed to be painting-themed, the way frames of canvases were scattered around the building. Baroque paintings were displayed all over, each piece as beautiful as skies at dusk.
The tapping of your heels against the ceramic tiles sounded as you walked, the romantic lighting of the room providing you with a sense of comfort. Wildly, your eyes observed each piece, letting your heart be swayed by the beauty.Â
They were all beautiful â but they didnât feel like Hyunjin.Â
Until your eyes trailed to a certain piece.
It was the centrepiece, the piece â little bulbs of lights were installed above the frame, making the piece feel alive. The moment your gaze fell on the artwork, you couldnât help but feel drawn in, taking hurried steps towards it. You stared, unable to take your eyes off the hues on the canvas.
There werenât many hues, just black and white. It depicted two figures on swings. You couldnât see the figures clearly but you could tell they looked happy. You could see through the strokes of paint that they were happy â though the artist not so. There was a certain sadness in the painting, one that screamed nostalgia.Â
The longer you looked at the piece, the more you realized.Â
It was a fragment of your memory.Â
Your breath hitched. In came a memory of you and Hyunjin â running around the park before playing on swings. It was a particularly memorable day, you could recall falling off the swing and Hyunjin kneeling in front of you, kissing the bruises on your knees with the tenderness of a feather. It was the first time you felt so protected, and so loved.Â
A rush of emotions overcame you, you wondered if that was how Hyunjin felt when he painted it. Had he thought of you, and wept by his easel? Had he stained his cheeks with charcoal as he wiped stray tears off his face?Â
You wondered, so much so that you failed to realize a silhouette entering the display.Â
Hyunjin didnât enjoy art exhibitions in daylight. They felt pompous. The people who visited the exhibitions would usually walk around casually, and took photos. They didnât harbour any sort of deep appreciation towards art, they didnât sit and admire.
Therefore, Hyunjin loved revisiting exhibitions in the comfort of twilight. When the expositions were empty, he enjoyed revisiting them, taking his sweet time to admire each piece.Â
When he spotted a figure standing before his piece â his most vulnerable piece, he felt his heart drop. He watched from afar as this person observed the artwork, body as still as a mannequin. He had never witnessed someone admire a piece this intensely, especially with it being one of his pieces. He felt flattered, his heart swelling in pride and joy.Â
Silently, Hyunjin approached the figure. Usually, he was shy, not the type to approach people first but somehow, he felt the strong urge to this time. Fate was pulling him by his heartstrings.
âThatâs my painting,â Hyunjin spoke, ensuring his voice was as soft as possible.Â
The sudden voice startled you. You whipped your head towards the source of the noise, eyes widened in shock. They widened even more at the sight before you.Â
Hyunjinâs breath hitched. His heartbeats escalated, taking in the figure standing in front of him. His fingers dug into the skin of his thumb, lips quivering. Brown doe eyes mirrored yours.
âWh â what?â he spoke again, breathless. âYn?â
A few steps were taken, inching closer towards you. His eyes scanned your face, lips quivering even more when he realized that it was you â you were real, and you were standing in front of him. You looked the same as you did three years ago, except more beautiful. Howâd you get more beautiful? The passage of time had seemingly been good to you, the way it had carved your face into one Hyunjin could imagine himself filling his canvases with.
âHyunjin,â you willed yourself to speak. You ignored the way your eyes watered. âItâs you.â
âItâs you, too. Youâre here.â
Another few, brave steps were taken. You, on the other hand, didnât move an inch.Â
âI hate you,â the words spilt past sanguine mouth before you could stop them, its venom contrasting the hushed tone of your voice. They crushed Hyunjinâs heart, though he knew he deserved them. âBut I missed you.â
âIâm sorry,â was all that he could say. Hyunjin meant it. He really was sorry. He was sorry as he sent you back from the meadow, too cowardly to bid you goodbye. He was sorry when he packed his bags, stealing one of your sweatshirts for solace. He was sorry when he was on the plane, wishing he could turn back time. He was sorry when he painted numerous portraits of you. He was sorry as he stood before you, watching tears flow down your cheeks because it was the least he could do â a form of punishment for what he had done to you.
You shook your head, palms rushing towards your face to wipe away tears.Â
âItâs not enough, I know,â he mumbled, moving closer towards you to wipe your tears, like it was instinct, feeling his heart clench when you took steps back. âBut I truly am sorry.â
âYou didnât even say goodbye,â you sobbed, vision blurry. âYou didnât even contact me.â
âI know, Yn, I know â Iâm sorry. I wanted to call you, but I couldnât,â he rambled, cupping your cheeks and rubbing on the skin. You allowed him to. âI swear, I wanted to write to you, but I was too embarrassed, and by the time I had enough courage it was already too late.â
Sobs wrestled their way past your lips, barely able to form coherent words. You kept shaking your head, blurting out the words youâve kept for years.
âYou just left me, Hyunjin â you left me. A day before my birthday,â your whimpers got louder, âI wanted to tell you Iâm in love with you, on my birthday. Hell, three years later and Iâm still in love with you.â
Hyunjinâs face paled. He had expected curses, and cries â but he hadnât expected that. Anything, but that. His limbs moved before his brain could process things, lifting your chin to meet eyes. Your eyes were tinted with tears, but you were still beautiful. Youâre always beautiful.
âWhat?â he squeezed your cheeks, âYn, what?â
âYou heard me. Iâm not saying it again. It's fucking pathetic.â
âFuck,â he exhaled. Hyunjin knew he was supposed to feel remorse, but God â his heart bloomed at the words you had whispered to him. Youâre in love with him. Youâre in love with him, the same way he was in love with you. âFuck, Yn. You can't just say shit like that.â
Feather-like touches grazed your lips. There was a certain look in Hyunjin's eyes, one that you couldn't quite figure out â they were a look of longing. How could you know it was longing when you had never bear witness to them? You could feel his breath against your face, warm like his fingertips.
âYou have no fucking idea how long I've been in love with you. You have no idea how much I missed you. Fuck, I think about you every fucking day,â he whispered, âYou have no idea how much I regret getting on that plane.â
At that moment, all you could feel was Hyunjin. His deep, brown eyes staring into yours and his thumb pressing onto your lip.
âKiss me,â you whispered back, âKiss me, Hwang Hyunjin.â
And kiss you, he did. His lips crashed against yours with fervour, moving his lips to the same beat as his racing heart. You kissed back in the same manner, letting out the emotions you had bottled up.Â
I love you, I love you â each movement of his lips was a love confession, etching his adoration onto the curves of your lips. You caressed his cheeks akin to holding stars in your palms â careful, precious.
Finally, you pulled apart to catch your breaths, bodies heaving against each other.Â
âPlease, give me a second chance.â
Itâs odd the way human minds work, because at that very moment, you were reminded of Colette's words. Ones that mentioned a rumoured secret lover.
âBut,â you felt silly for saying it, âYour secret lover?â
âMy secret lover?â the boy's eyebrows furrowed. He then chuckled upon realization. The rumour must've spread to you. âAh, that secret lover. It's you, idiot.âÂ
He smiled. You didnât think anyone could look as beautiful as he did.
âIt's always been you.â
eleven. Â
âCareful â come on, get under here.â
Giggles echoed in the alleyways as two shadows lingered in the darkness of midnight. It was raining, the pavements darkening with wetness and the wind howling a sweet melody. At that particular hour, under the moonlight, Paris looked like the city of love.Â
You rushed out of the exposition hall, getting under Hyunjinâs leather jacket. Heâd promised you the date of your lifetime that night, and he wasnât one to break his promises.Â
Hyunjinâs back was damp from the rain, but it didnât matter as long as not a droplet landed on your body. It only took a few minutes (and a lot of giggles in between) to reach Hyunjinâs so-called secret spot.Â
Streetlights shone on a bench, and clusters of flowers surrounded a little pond. The spot overlooked the city, you could see the city lights from all the way up here. You gasped in awe, itâs no wonder Hyunjin insisted on coming here.
âSo beautiful,â you whispered. Hyunjin smiled softly, moving closer towards you on the bench and wrapped an arm around your waist.
While fondly looking at your visage, he muttered. âYeah, itâs pretty.â
âHowâd you find this place?â
âI found it while I was walking one night,â he explained, resting his head on yours. You could smell his shampoo in this closeness. âI was sad. This garden reminded me of the one we used to go to when we were kids.â
Your heart swelled at the confession.Â
âIt does resemble that one a lot.â
The skies were still drizzling rain, but you were both a little sheltered much thanks to the oak tree above you. Only droplets dripped, falling onto your head but it was a nice sensation. Besides, you couldnât feel the cold when youâre nuzzled in Hyunjinâs arm, blanketed in his familiar warmth. You allowed silence to third-wheel you, eyes busied with observing the sight. Silence was always comfortable with Hyunjin. The time spent apart hadnât changed that.Â
He wouldnât leave you alone, his skin constantly touching yours. It burned against you. You didnât mind it. Instead, you basked in his love, listening to the sounds of his heartbeats as your head rested on his chest. He intertwined your fingers together, his thumb rubbing against yours. He wouldnât let go of you, not even when he bent down to pluck a flower, slipping the daffodil onto your ear.Â
âI missed you,â he murmured. You werenât sure how much heâd repeated that phrase but you liked it. âI truly did.â
For the thousandth time that night, you responded. âI missed you too.â
The conversation changed into one about your lives, catching up on each otherâs shenanigans. It was comfortable, being with Hyunjin. Topics changed seamlessly. You didnât have to put much effort into talking to him, you just had to be there.
Softly, his hands moved towards your feet, taking off one of your shoes. He held onto your ankle, tracing his pointer across your sole. You giggled, the feather-like touches tickled.Â
âYou still have the feet of a ballerina.â
âOf course, silly,â you scoffed, âI am one after all.â
âIâm so glad that your dreams came true,â he whispered, putting your leg down. He cupped your cheek, showcasing a fond smile that stretched to his ears. âIâm really happy that youâre here.â
âOf course,â you repeated. âYou told me youâd be wherever I am. Itâs only fair I returned the favour.â
The words knocked out Hyunjinâs breath, and it filled his soul with so much adoration, he felt like he could burst. A pleading expression was written all over his porcelain visage, the way in which he squeezed your hand expressing his feelings even more.
âPlease,â he pleaded. âI need to be yours.â
You kissed him, for the second time that night.
âIâm already yours, Hyunnie.â
twelve. Â
Things with Hyunjin had been going exceptionally well.Â
After the fated night, you carried on with so much happiness that you practically beamed everywhere you went. One time when you clocked into work, the Double Câs made kissy noises at you, and Charlotte had whispered, âYou mustâve had crazy good sex last night.â
You couldnât deny it, of course.
Date nights with Hyunjin happened thrice a week, with coffee runs in between classes. The Paris Ballet School and Beaux-Arts de Paris werenât that far from each other, allowing you to sneak lunches together almost daily. Though you had to admit that even if the universities were far, Hyunjin definitely wouldnât mind spending extra time just to see you. Sometimes, heâd watch you dance, and sometimes, youâd watch him paint.Â
It was like you were both making up for the lack of each other the past three years.
After just two weeks of your relationship, you were acquainted with the comfort of Hyunjinâs home. His roommate was barely home, so you felt comfortable with coming over often. Most weekends, youâd spend the night over.Â
Morning birds chirped a jolly ballad, waking you from your slumber. You stretched, feeling the heat of Hyunjinâs skin against yours. You couldnât help the smile that grazed your face when you looked at him, fast asleep under the duvets beside you. Sleepily, you pressed a kiss onto his bare shoulder, then traced the memories of last night, tattooed on his skin in the form of bruises. It pulled a whine from him, moving under the duvet to press himself impossibly closer towards you.
âFlower,â he mumbled, morning voice husky, âI'm cold.â
âThen come cuddle.â
He did as told, wrapping strong arms around you. You felt his fingers ghost against your naked spine, sending heat straight to your core. You couldn't help the whimper that left you, earning a playful grin from your boyfriend.Â
âIt's too early to get in the mood, no? Baby?â
Flushed, you smacked his arm. âShut up.â
Hyunjin giggled, leaning towards you to press kisses onto your face. Mornings with him were often spent like this â limbs entangled, as if you were one.Â
âNeed to shower, baby,â he sighed, âHave an exhibition today.â
To your dismay, he slowly pulled away from you, missing the warmth of his body.Â
âYou coming to the exposition?â
âOf course,â you hummed. âGo shower. Can I borrow your laptop while you're in the shower?â
âYeah, baby. The password's your birthday.â
He got up from the bed, and you flushed as you looked at his bare body. Unluckily for you, your boyfriend quickly noticed your flushed face, taking it as an opportunity to throw a pillow at you and call you a pervert. You rolled your eyes, watching him enter the bathroom before getting up, wrapping the duvet around your naked body.Â
You walked towards his study to retrieve his laptop, smiling at the artworks displayed on his peg board. One was of you â a painting of the Polaroid he took of you back in the meadow. The Polaroid itself sat at the back of his phone case. He had never taken it out since the first time he put it in back then.
Whilst humming to a melody, you kicked in the digits of your birthday. The laptop unlocked, showcasing the unclosed tabs.Â
Your eyes widened at the words written on the screen.
Congratulations, you've been chosen for a student exchange programme to Rome.
Your heart skipped a beat. Repeatedly, your eyes skimmed the words on the screen. You didn't mean to pry but you scrolled through the email, feeling your heart sink upon seeing the date it was sent.
Over a week ago.Â
Yet Hyunjin hadn't told you anything.Â
After all these years, he was still keeping secrets from you. You couldn't handle it, and so for the sake of your heart you exited the tab, and shut down the laptop. Careful as to not make much noise, you got dressed.Â
âHyunjin,â you knocked on the bathroom door. âNeed to be at the academy now. Bye.â
You needed to be away from him â you needed to clear your head.
thirteen.
You hadn't seen Hyunjin for a week.
The texts from him you didn't avoid, responding each time he sent a message. However, you'd been dodging his requests of meeting, under the guise of practice when in truth, you hadnât gone for classes in a week. You spent your days moping in your apartment.Â
Perhaps it was a little childish of you to do, but you couldn't bear the thought of going through what you did before. You'd tasted a life without Hyunjin, and you were certain you didn't want to live through it again. This was your way of mentally preparing for that life again.Â
Your limbs lazily stretched across the cotton duvet as a vinyl played in the background. A melodramatic song played, matching the current tune of your heart. You weren't entirely sure what time it was, but the sound of the apartment bell ringing hinted that it was afternoon. It must be the takeout your roommate ordered.
âReine,â a familiar voice reverberated in your apartment. âWhere's Yn?â
âIn her bedroom,â your roommate, Reine replied in her thick French accent. âShe's been in there moping all week.â
Damn you, Reine.Â
Quickly, you buried yourself in your duvet, anticipating the footsteps which approached your room. Soon, your door swung open, and you could smell the white gardenia in his cologne.
âMy flower,â his voice tempted you to look, âWhatâs going on, sweet girl?â
It didnât help that each syllable that slipped past his lips felt like honey.
You felt his hands pull down your duvet before you came face to face with your boyfriend. He stood before you, hair slicked back and the white blouse he wore accentuated his shoulders. In his hands was a bouquet of flowers, patches of peonies and daffodils peeking from the wrapper.Â
You didnât utter any words, simply looking at him with watery doe eyes. He didnât miss the glint of tears, immediately setting the bouquet on your nightstand to get onto the bed. Tenderly, he pulled you onto his lap.
âYou look so sad,â he mumbled, âCan my sweet girl please tell me why sheâs so sad?â
Damn, him. How were you supposed to stand a chance when he was so ridiculously handsome and sweet?
Trembling, you parted your lips to speak.Â
âYouâre hiding things from me.â
He raised an eyebrow. âWhat things, baby?â
Your eyes shot daggers at him, bottom lip forming into a pout. Hyunjin had to stop himself from leaning in and biting it.
âYou got offered to an exchange student programme,â you finally bit the bullet. âYouâre planning on keeping it a secret and just leaving me again, arenât you?â
Ah.
Hyunjinâs eyes softened. He sighed, caressing your cheek in his hand. He shook his head as his free hand rested on your thigh, massaging the supple skin.
âNo, Iâm rejecting it,â he answered. âI didnât tell you because I thought there was no point in telling you if I didnât even want to go.â
âWhat?â you responded, voice a little higher than you intended it to be. Your eyes scanned his for any lies. âHyunjin â itâs a good opportunity.â
âWhat, you donât want me here anymore?â he joked, raising an eyebrow at you. âBaby, Paris is already enough for me. I donât really want to move again.â
You nodded at his words. A huge part of you felt relieved â and you felt awful for feeling that way.Â
Love, sometimes, is about being selfish after all.
âWere you sad because you thought I was going?â your boyfriend queried, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear.
You shrugged. âA little. I was more mad that you didnât tell me.â
âOh,â he nodded, âIâm sorry. I wasnât trying to keep it a secret, I just didnât mention it because it felt insignificant.â
âI want you to tell me things,â you mumbled, wrapping your arms around his neck. It left goosebumps in its wake. âI want to know these things.â
âOkay," he mumbled. Something about his compliance made you feel fonder of him. "I'll start telling you these things."
A sigh of relief left your lips. You had known Hyunjin for years, but being with him was different. A good kind of difference. It would take you a while to adjust to these changes â but it was the kind of changes you'd want to adjust to.
Hyunjin's fingers trailed to your hips, ghosting over your skin until they reached your thighs. He traced the stretch marks there, leaving goosebumps in its wake. You couldn't help the whine that left your mouth, and the heat that arose, tainting the tips of your ears in crimson. Hyunjin enjoyed this â flustering you with his ministrations. He allowed you to nuzzle your face into the crook of his neck, whimpering as he felt your lips litter kisses on his most sensitive spots.
"I love you," he confessed, like honey dripping from lips. "Promise I'll be wherever you are."
disclaimer â Š 2024 hyunverse on tumblr. all rights reserved. authors works are protected under the copyright law. do not plagiarize or translate my works. tumblr is my only platform.
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teeth | l.hc
âfight so dirty but your loveâs so sweetâ
đżnow playing: teeth by 5 seconds of summer
⯠summary: Traditionally the caption of the cheer team and the captain of the soccer team are friends - some even date. But you and Donghyuck definitely arenât friends - if anything youâre enemies. The two of you canât go five minutes without an argument. So, why are you letting him fuck you in the locker room?
⯠pairings: haechan x fem!reader
⯠genre: college!au, enemies with benefits, smut
⯠words: 2.5k
⯠tags: 18+ minors dni!, bickering, swearing, unprotected sex (don't do this!), hate sex, degrading names, general name-calling, manhandling, haechan is an asshole, but reader is also lowkey mean, choking, use of nickname 'princess', reader uses she/her pronouns, hardly any plot, it's literally just them hate fucking idk what to tell ya.
cheeky author's note: i'm very brtish, so referring to this as soccer literally made me want to rip my hair out đ
âYou donât have to be so rough you know, Hyuck!â
"Will you just shut up and let me fuck you!?" He snaps.
The red metal of Lee Donghyuck's locker is cold against the skin of your bare back. Honestly, you donât even know how it happened. But somehow the captain of the soccer team (and the boy you swear you hate) has you pinned against the boyâs lockers, one leg wrapped around his waist and the top half of your cheer uniform hiked up just enough to give him a full display of your tits. His left-hand grips your hip so tightly that youâre certain heâs doing it on purpose just to piss you off.
Not only that, but he also has your skirt bunched up around your waist. Giving him just the right amount of easy access to pull your panties to the side and tease his cock between your folds.
"Will you just hurry up and stick it in!?" You try to yell at him but, from the way heâs teasing the head of his cock at your entrance, the attempt comes out like a feeble whine.
Exactly on command, the scowl on your face quickly morphs into a wince, and the annoyed quirk on your lips disappears to form a small 'o' as Hyuckâs grip on your hip hardens and he pushes his cock quickly into your cunt. You canât complain though - you did just tell him to stick it in.
"Shit," you squirm, hand coming up to his chest, pressing hard against the badge of his soccer uniform that rests on his right peck.
"Now look whoâs needy," He teases. "I vividly remember you saying Iâd be the shittest fuck on the soccer team."
"Thatâs what this is about!? Youâre still mad thatâ uhh," youâre cut off by your own moan and your nails sink into the fabric of his shirt when he starts to move his hips. His pace is surprisingly slow - deliberately teasing - in comparison to his rapid first thrust inside of you.
"Christ! Even when you fuck you talk too much," Hyuck curses, his hand wrapping around your arm to free himself from the grip you have on his shirt.
"You're one to talk," You hiss back. "Even when you fuck youâre still an annoying little assholâ "
You gasp as he pulls out of you completely and then thrusts into you once again.
"You could've at least warned me, you dick,â You exhale, your walls readjusting to his size for the second time - and what a big size he was.
âYeah, yeah, spare me the lecture princess.â
You canât believe that even when heâs buried to the hilt inside of your pussy heâs still calling you that stupid fucking nickname. Itâs not the word âprincessâ itself that bothers you per se; itâs Lee Donghyuckâs intention behind the name that makes your blood blister with anger. Heâs been calling you âprincessâ since your freshman year in college but youâd only ever inquired about it recently.
You were at a party, and even though you hate the bones of Lee Donghyuck, youâd be lying if you said your social circles didnât overlap. It was inevitable, heâs on the soccer team, youâre a cheerleader; honestly, the two of you should be friends. But youâre not. And because of your strained relationship, it was no surprise that the minute you walked through the door heâd picked a fight with you.
You can't even remember what the argument was about now, but you know the two of you had gone back and forth in a boxing match of insults that always ended with him throwing the word âprincessâ at the end of his rebuttals. And you really couldnât quite understand why. In your mind, being called a princess was a compliment, but to Donghyuck, princesses were âspoilt bitches who have no grip on reality.â
Safe to say you didnât think the term was one of endearment after that.
And it was at that same party where youâd insisted Donghyuck would be the shittest fuck on the soccer team â something youâre currently finding out as being not true as he fucks you senseless six ways to Sunday. In all honesty, even when Yuta had asked you the question in a silly little game of truth or dare, you knew Hyuck was the cop-out answer. Truthfully, your real answer would have been Jisung or Chenle. Theyâre both a little younger and act more awkward with you. But still, youâd let hell freeze over before letting Lee Donghyuck think he was a better fuck than somebody else. However, youâre pretty sure youâve broken that promise to yourself from the way youâre breathlessly panting and gasping from the vigorous drilling of his cock. That or hell genuinely has frozen over.
But still, what did he expect? The two of you couldnât go half a second without a petty argument. Sometimes you find yourself just doing it because you were bored and he was there. After all, itâs just the norm between the two of you.
Thatâs why you canât quite understand why heâs taking a stupid comment said in a passing game of truth or dare to heart. Youâve said worse to him, you're sure of it.
Hyuck pulls out of your pussy and the emptiness that lingers between your legs has you groaning â even if itâs just for a second. He doesnât give you long to harp on the loss of friction because he wastes no time dropping your leg from his hip, gripping your waist and slamming the front of your body against his locker.
You want to make another snarky comment about his roughness, but you secretly love it. Well, itâs not so secret actually â Hyuck is well aware that you like his manhandling because he feels your wetness becoming more slick on his cock as he thrusts into you from behind.
His pace in the new position is still tortuous, slow and teasing, and so fucking annoyingly good. But you donât know how much longer you can take the tormenting leisurely pace. You want more - you need more. If he didn't have your arms pinned behind you and you flush against the lockers, youâd claw at his back to make him go faster.
You feel a warmth on the nape of your neck as he nuzzles against your ear, placing a kiss so gently, that youâre shocked at the sudden contrast in his demeanour.
âThis the shittest fuck youâve had, huh?â
No.
âYes,â you reply and he growls deeply. Thereâs a rough snap of his hips and it catches you off guard so much you have to bite down on your lip to suppress a whimper.
âFucking liar,â he scoffs.
The insult makes your face screw up in a glare, but still, all you can manage is a breathy, âAm not.â
No matter how good the length of his cock is making you feel, you donât want to give him the satisfaction of admitting he was right â that heâs not the worst fuck on the soccer team. Not that you had much experience with the others.
But even though you refuse to use your words to tell him youâre loving it, your body betrays you by being so fucking responsive to his touches. And no matter how hard you fight against him, Hyuck never lets you gain an inch. In fact, every time you try to free your arms from his, he lets out a frustrated groan, and the sound only makes your pussy throb harder.
His hand slips up your body until it finds your throat, where his fingers dig into either side of your neck. He stops his thrusts.
âWell if youâre not lying, are you saying Iâm a shitty fuck princess?â He asks innocently as if heâs about to be gentle with you, but you know better. After all, this is Donghyuck. âIf you want to pretend like you donât want this; if that helps you sleep at night, then fine, but your slutty cunt is so fucking wet, I can almost feel you soaking my balls.â
He ducks down to place a kiss on your jaw, and you feel his lips smile into it as you shudder from his words. Instinctively, you swing your head away from him, only to be yanked back by the hand around your throat. He chuckles against your skin, hips starting to move again, thrusting shallowly into your stretched cunt.
âIf Iâm such a shitty fuck, I supposed you want me to stop, huh?â He asks in a low voice, lips grazing your cheek.
Noises youâve never heard yourself make before tumble from your mouth as you moan and sob shamelessly. You try to bite your tongue, try not to fuel his ego, but his rhythm is too good at tearing down your guard, which is why you find yourself crying out, âPlease donât stop!â
He laughs, fucking you harder and faster, the stings of pain from his cock hitting you so deep morphing into a hot ache of pleasure that coils tighter and tighter in your core.
âFuck, fuck, fuck,â he growls.
His fingers, still on your throat press into your skin, not hard enough to cut off your air supply but just enough pressure to force out strangled moans. Your shoulders rub against the coarse material of his soccer kit, grounding you against him as he fucks you in punishing thrusts.
You donât want to admit it, but your body canât resist it.
âFuck, gonna cum,â you mumble, eyes squeezed tight together.
âYeah? You gonna cum for me like a good little slut?â he murmurs into your temples
The low rumble of his voice has the tension in your core ratcheting higher, pushing you closer to your release. Your head feels like itâs floating as the tight spring in your stomach coils until it finally snaps and has your knees buckling beneath you.
Hyuck keeps his speed steady, fucking you through your climax and savouring the way your walls clench around him in rigid spasms. Your orgasm triggers his and he clenches his jaw.
âFuck, I'm gonna cum,â he ruts into you harder, and all you can do is moan for him.
âPlease,â you whimper.
He chuckles at your submission - heâs never seen you like this before - so needy and desperate. He didnât think it was possible to love anything about you; but this right here, you fucked out and pleading for his cum, yeah, he fucking loves it.
He ruts into you a last few times with thrusts that are wild and more frenzied, his thighs slapping against your ass. He contemplates cumming inside of you, but he figures heâd save that for another day since the two of you had forgotten about a condom and hadnât really discussed it.
AndâŚdid he just think about having sex with you again?
With a loud groan that rattles against the metal in the empty locker room, Hyuck pulls out of your cunt and jerks his cock until heâs cumming onto the small of your back. Unable to stop yourself, you moan softly and a stupid smile spreads across your face when you hear him sigh.
After that it's silent, only your rapid breaths echoing in the room. Heâs pressed against you, face buried in your neck, holding you and your weak legs in place. You stay like that for a beat, but then you remember who it is thatâs just fucked you.
Without any more hesitation, you shake his grip and push him away from you. "Christ! Stop breathing down my neck. Fucking gross."
If it wasnât for the fact that heâs your arch nemesis you would have stayed tangled up in him a little while longer, letting yourself get soaked up in the fact that that was the best sex youâve ever had.
As you turn around to face him, he looks at you with the softest expression youâve ever seen on his face.
âThereâs a towel in my bag if you want toâŚâ
You scoff, âHow chivalrous of you.â
You pull the towel from the bag in his locker and start wiping at his cum on your back. Your body is turned away from him but you can still feel his eyes lingering on you as you wipe away.
You stop to look at him, âWhat are you still doing here? We have a game in like 10 minutes. Shouldnât you be likeâŚwarming up or something?â
âI think Iâm already warmed up,â he mumbles and you shake your head with a smile, going back to cleaning yourself off.
âSeriously, get on the pitch,â you demand when you see him still lingering.
Thereâs a hand in his hair, scratching his head and he looks a little flushed. You never see him like this, itâs weird. The Hyuck you know and loathe is cocky, smug, arrogant, all of those kinds of words; but the one in front of you looks so awkward, flushed. Is it weird you kinda like it?
âAre you waiting for me to tell you you arenât a bad fuck or something? Seriously Hyuck, get lost,â you try and joke, pulling down your cheer uniform.
âNo..IâŚâ he stumbles.
You groan, âOh no, donât do this. Donât make things weird.â
âIâm notââ
âCanât you just be like a normal guy andâŚI donât know, say it felt good to fuck me like you hate me or some shit?â
His eyes sweep over your face as if he were studying you. His face softens and he steps closer.
âI mean I could say that, because it felt fucking amazing actually,â he says and you swallow thickly. âBut youâre wrong about one thing.â
You pause, freezing as he comes towards you. You donât even register how close he is until you feel his breath on your lips and his chest against yours.
âWhat?â
âI donât actually hate you that much,â he admits, and your eyes widen.
âYeah right, funny joke,â you roll your eyes and laugh sarcastically but heâs not laughing with you. In fact heâs just looking at you, deadpan, and itâs starting to freak you out.
When you realise that he is in fact serious, you cross your hands across your chest.
âYouâre not gonna start doing all that cheesy shit they do in the movies, where you profess your undying love for me, and tell me you never really hated me and it was all just a miscommunication, are you?â
âFuck no!â He almost gags at the mention of it. âJust because I said I donât hate you that much doesnât mean I like you? Are you crazy?â
âWell Iâm just making sure,â you poke his chest.
He runs a hand through his hair and sighs, âBut I do wanna do this againâŚâ he trails off so quietly that you wouldnât have heard it if there was anybody else in the room with you.
âThis?â
âYes, this. Us. Fucking,â he explains. âI fucking hate you, but fuck, I think I love your pussy.â
#nct smut#nct dream smut#nct 127 smut#haechan smut#nct x reader#nct dream x reader#nct 127 x reader#haechan x reader#nct hard hours#kpop smut
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đđđđđ | sae, kaiser, rin, reo and isagi
đđ đđđđđđđđđđ ; take a look, trust me!
plot: domestic shit because I love fluff stuff đˇ the characters chosen seem to me to be the most "visible" with little girls... so yeah. I'm actually not very sure of the result, maybe I'll delete it sooner or later to do it again
â sae itoshi
If there was one thing Sae had understood since becoming a parent, it was that having two children was complicated. On one hand he was now understanding all of his mother's concerns when, as children, Rin was unmanageable
We know however that males, if brothers, are somehow a little more manageable. Females, if sisters, are not. He was the father of two girls
As much as he loved them, he agreed with you when you said it would have been better to wait a few more years. But then he looks at his girls in the face, he regrets even thinking about it a little, because he loves them too much
In his eyes he sees him and Rin when they were kids: Sayami, the eldest, looks awfully like him because of her reddish hair, but in character she is like you. Semika, the youngest, is different from him in appearance but identical in character. Sayami brings out Semika's very hidden, but existing, sociable side. The only trait that makes girls similar are those damned undereyelashes that have marked the Itoshi family for generations
âLove, when are you going to let them go?â
"No."
"Sae, we've already talked about this..."
"I said no"
"Sae."
"I already said no, Y/n.â
"Y'know, they're already 7 years old. Sooner or later it will happen..."
"Not as long as I'm alive"
...a simple child had asked Sayami if she and her sister wanted to go play with him. Sae took their hand and walked out of the park as fast as he could with his treasures
âś Sae tries hard to talk with her little girls. In a relationship not talking, or in any case having some communication problems, can be understood... with little girls no, because they would take it as a rejection. He ALWAYS goes out of his way to talk to them as much as possible, also because he loves the moments when they come home from school and, together, they chat about what happened during the day
âś Let's be honest, Sae doesn't have much other knowledge or passions apart soccer, which was probably imposed on him as a child. He has not the slightest intention of making any of his girls leave school: if like him they end up having to change country to follow a sport, Sae will have to be absolutely sure that they are studying at the same time. He doesn't want them to be like him, because he knows how difficult is that life
Favorite father-daughter(s) activity: resting with them. Sae is often busy with his career, training and of course with his beautiful wife, but he always tries to make time in the evenings (if he's not out of town for a match) with his daughters. He likes to lie down on the bed or on the sofa, before dinner, with the girls who tell him everything exciting they did that day
When you and your little girl(s) show up at one of his games: he hides it well but LOVES when you come to watch him play. If he is normally a prodigy, in front of his daughters he must seem even better. When he scores a goal the first thing he would do is turn towards you, no celebration because it's not his style, but he would wave to his daughters who are cheering for him from the stands. Once the game is over he would ignore the interviewers, as he normally does, and simply come to you to claim his victory kiss
â kaiser micheal
Having children, whether boys or girls, was NOT in Michael's plan. I mean, how can someone who had such a complicated childhood have children? Even if he hides it, he has an enormous fear of being able to make someone of his own blood suffer, voluntarily or not, what he has experienced. He just knows that if something has to happen, it happens. And he doesn't know what fate has in store for his possible heir. He might hate his kid and disown him or her like his parents, if they can be called in that way, did with him
When he found out that he was going to become a father, and with a daughter, he seriously thought for a few moments about simply walking away. Not that he hated you, he couldn't, but it was really strange for him to think that someone of his own blood, his kid, was about to born
Kaiser can't explain how all the worries he had collapsed the moment he held Anneliese, his daughter, in his arms for the first time. Just by seeing and hearing her, he wondered how he could even remotely think that he could hypothetically hurt such a wonderful being
Anneliese quickly became the center of Kaiser's world, along of course with the beautiful mother of his little girl. It can be said that his daughter is a shameless copy of him, both in appearance and character: long, blonde hair, proud and always challenging temperament. One might doubt that she is your daughter but not that she is not Kaiser's. She is liteeerally him
...Sitting on the sofa, Anneliese is watching one of her father's old match. The assist with a teammate ends badly, but the ball returns to Kaiser's possession again and he scores a goal
âDad, the next time you pass the ball to someone unworthy, I will be even more angry than I am now!â
"I understand, don't worry. I can't make my little girl angry again, can I?"
"Mihya, on the field you have to do what you feel, don't listen to her..."
"How can I not listen to our little girl, Schatz?"
âś Kaiser loves to take his daughter with him everywhere: whether it's to an interview, to training or to a match, Anneliese is almost certainly with him or next to you. He loves when you and your little girl cheer for him during a match, even more if he knows that if he scores there will be your lips kissing him and the little girl's little arms hugging him. He shows a lot his family and his being a fantastic father (you tell him too, he's a little insecure about this) in front of his teammates. The emperor's family!
âś Ness is practically the little girl's uncle. He never stopped idolizing Micheal, even more so when he discovered that now there was no longer just one Kaiser but two. Micheal is slightly jealous, he doesn't like that his daughter spends so much time with Ness... he hates seeing his Anneliese so happy with an adult other than him or her mother
Favorite father-daughter(s) activity: he loves when his daughter plays with his hair, especially with the blue parts. Seeing the cerulean blue on his little girl's pale hands, as she braids it or whatever it is, makes him tender. He once dreamed of Anneliese with the exact same hair as him and he admits he wouldn't mind seeing her that way. Maybe blue tipped hair could be the Kaiser's new trademark
When you and your little girl(s) show up at one of his games: whenever you and Anneliese come to a game, the first thing he makes sure to do is that you have a seat in the VIP section. He loves seeing the stadium celebrate for him because his family is there to see him, it's something that feeds his ego. As soon as the match was over he would have you go down onto the field with him, the little girl in his arm and his other arm around your waist as he holds you close to him
â rin itoshi
In his mind Rin, the few times he imagined himself, he always saw himself as the father of a son, and nothing more. Not brothers, as much as he actually liked the idea, just a child and above all a boy. He would have been happy like that
As much as he liked the idea of ââa possible second child, with his job he wouldn't be able to dedicate the time he knows children deserve. At the same time he doesn't want to leave all the work to you, because parenting is something that is usually done by two. One child would have been enough
He doesn't know how but at a certain point in his life, he found himself with three daughters, all of whom were no more than two years apart. At first it was just a child, your beautiful Ayaka, then suddenly Homura also appeared and finally Rika
The idea of ââjust one boy dematerialized pretty quickly. But he loves his girls so much that, when sometimes he thinks of his original idea, he curses himself: how could he deprive himself of the presence and love of his girls?
All the girls resemble him tremendously, both in character (the one before the incident with Sae) and in appearance, obviously talking about the undereyelashes signed 'Itoshi'. Ayaka, only, is the female version of her father. Homura and Rika have taken something from their mother, but Ayaka could almost resemble Sae too... well, he is her uncle after all, right?
"Dad, Rika doesn't pass the ball when she plays!"
"You can't handle it either, Homura! You can't even pass me games at home!"
"Girls, calm down"
"Learn to score on goal first, before complaining"
...The situation seemed to be calm under Rin's control, but Ayaka broke the calm by scoring a perfect goal into the net of the private home soccer field. New prodigy?
âś Rin often thinks about what might happen if, in the future, he ever does something that could divide her daughters. He has no preference between them, but he is always terrified that he might do something wrong that could create inequalities that he doesn't want, because in a certain sense, what happened between him and Sae must not happen in another generation of the Itoshi. He bond and love between his daughters must exist forever, not deteriorate as happened with his Nii Chan
âś He would try to get his daughters to try as many sports as possible. As much as Rin loves soccer, his choice was influenced by the fact that Sae played it... what if he was now a world champion in, idk, volleyball? NO OKAY. He simply likes to make all 3 try new things, looking for something that maybe they could dedicate themselves with passion
Favorite father-daughter(s) activity: when his little girls organize themselves to do makeup on him. He's got a pretty mysterious look to maintain, but if Homura has decided that he's going to show up at practice tomorrow wearing orange nail polish, he'll show up that way. Not that he has any problem fighting anyone who has something to say against him, but no one dares. Rin loves to see them concentrate while putting on mascara or a completely disgusting shade of lipstick
When you and your little girl(s) show up at one of his games: if he knows that you are there to see him play, he will do everything to score as many goals as possible and, above all, quickly: he wants to keep his girls' expectations high. Once he scored a goal he would raise his hand to the sky, waiting for his girls to do the same thing because it has now become a gesture that only each other understands. At the end of the game the first thing he would do is go up to the stands to be with you, fuck his lukewarm teammates
â reo mikage
Looking after Nagi was like taking a pre parenting course. Nagi essentially has the needs of a child if you ignore the fact that he is 17 years old and 1.90cm tall, so Reo knows quite well what a child needs. Then, he always saw the maids in his house bring their young children to work when possible: Reo loved playing with them or picking them up, or just generally spending time with them. The idea of ââhaving children, sooner or later and with a special person, has actually always interested him. He always said to himself, but in reality he hoped, that he would find the person who would love him for simply being Reo and not for his money... and then you came along!
His idea has always been of only one child because he is afraid that, sooner or later, two possible children could fight over the money of the Mikage company. Everything is unpredictable, right? So he doesn't want to risk anything
His original idea was respected. When he held Hikari for the first time he simply understood that he wouldn't be able to create, obviously with you, such a cute and perfect being again
The only similarity that links Hikari to her father is the same hair color, that strong purple. For the rest she is completely her mother, and Reo loves this even more: it's cute to see a mini version of you, but with some of his features, walking around the house. His new sweet treasure!!
"So, this... this, yes, also this... that... this"
"Reo, honey, what are you doing with that newspaper?"
"Nothing dangerous. Don't worry"
"What are you doing though? You make me curious"
"I told you not to worry, honey. Trust me."
...Reo was marking all the objects, approximately 300, in a catalog of toys and children's products. If he has money, why can't he spend it if he knows it will make his daughter happy?
âś The first person Reo told that he was going to be a father was obviously Nagi. Let's say that at first Seishiro wasn't really believing it, but when he saw that pregnancy test... oh... yes, he definitely believed it. It often happens that Hikari stays with Nagi for days at a time, as the little girl sees him as a giant she can annoy. Reo often tells his daughter not to bother Nagi too much, but it secretly makes him laugh to see Seishiro so awkward with Hikari because he doesn't know how to handle children (himself??)
âś If there's one thing he would never do, it would be to push Hikari into running the Mikage company once she grows up. Reo hated living his childhood with the knowledge that he already had a predetermined destiny, and he doesn't want Hikari to have the same treatment. She want to become a doctor? It will become one. She want to become a farmer? It will become one. She want to become president of the world? It will become one. He simply wants her to do what she loves
Favorite father-daughter(s) activity: travel the world with his daughter or of course with you too. The money is there, and what better way is there to spend it than learning and traveling? Hikari, at less than 5 years old, had already visited half the world. Reo loves taking her to different places and seeing her reactions so amazed. His favorite will remain forever when they arrived in New York, where Hikari didn't stop smiling for a second
When you and your little girl(s) show up at one of his games: it is obvious to say that he would pay to let you have the VIP of the VIP, his girls deserve the best, right?. He would feel amazing among all his teammates knowing that his family is there for him while there is no one for them. At the end of the game he would let the cameras record him hugging you and Hikari, why would he hide all the love he has for you from the cameras?
â isagi yoichi
Isagi was relatively happy as a child: his parents loved him, he played the sport he loved, he didn't do badly at school. Everything was happy for him in his early life. The only thing he often noticed were his classmates with older or younger siblings, who yeah argued with each other, but at the same time loved each other very much. He didn't suffer from loneliness from being the only child, not that, but he was always intrigued by the concept of not being the only child in the family
Since you've been dating seriously, and even before actually, he's always thought that his future family would model what he had: loving parents, one child, two if they had the chance
When Fujiko was born there was this plan in his mind: okay, now we dedicate ourselves to her, we give her everything she needs... then, if we want, we will have another child. Both you and Yoichi were very convinced that a max of 5 years after the birth of the kid you would try again, but Fujiko filled your lives so much that you decided that only she was good for the whole life
Fujiko's appearance bears little resemblance to her father's, maybe just a few facial features. If we talk about character, however, everything changes completely: it's a kind of Isagi 2.0, the same determination coupled with a lot of kindness. We will find out later if she also has bipolar disorder on and off the field like her dad- WHO SAID THAT??
"Fujiko, why aren't there any more pencil in your pencilcase?"
"Mom, I had to give them to some friends. Otherwise they couldn't write what the teacher said"
"This kindness reminds me of someone"
"Who? Who? Who?"
"Think about it: who do you consider to be the kindest person in the world?"
"My dad!"
...doing homework with your daughter, you noticed that some things were missing. Isagi is kind, one of the kindest in the world; when you told him about it he was perplexed, because he too would have done the exact same thing... just like his little girl
âś Having now become a professional striker, he often does not have the opportunity to spend long periods at home due to champions or special training sessions. When this happens he is happy to leave because soccer is his passion anyway, on the other hand he dies inside every time he hugs his daughter or you for the last time. He loves his family, he would like to always be with you and Fujiko because you give him courage, but he understands that always moving with him from city to city, or even from country to country, is complicated and, above all, tiring
âś He would like to direct Fujiko towards soccer, but at the same time he knows that he cannot choose something that is actually up to her. He has the belief that Fujiko would probably be good as him, unlocking her own version of the meta vision, but he prefers to see her little girl happy with the things she has chosen and loves
Favorite father-daughter(s) activity: he likes when they watch the games Isagi has already played. Television often replays reruns of recent or even old matches, and whenever Isagi is present on the field, Fujiko is the first to ask to watch them together. Yoichi enjoys seeing her so amazed by the actions on the field, commenting on anything that she doesn't understand because she rightfully doesn't know the rules of soccer. The thing that amuses him most is explaining to her who are the people he passes the ball, whether they are his friends or not, but now for Fujiko there is only Bachira with the title of dad's friend
When you and your little girl(s) show up at one of his games: the mere fact that you come to see him play is a lot for him, but since you and Fujiko once showed up wearing a jacket that said "biggest fan of number 11" on the back, he understood that he didn't it would matter if he were to be burned alive if he did it for you. Unfortunately the insults would always be there, but he would try to contain himself in front of his little girl. At the end of the game the first thing he would do is come to you and let you onto the field, making you celebrate with him
#blue lock#blue lock x female reader#blue lock x y/n#blue lock x you#blue lock x reader#blue lock imagines#sae itoshi#itoshi sae#kaiser michael#micheal kaiser#rin itoshi#itoshi rin#reo mikage#mikage reo#isagi yoichi#yoichi isagi#sae itoshi x reader#itoshi sae x y/n#itoshi sae x reader#micheal kaiser x reader#kaiser x reader#kaiser x you#rin itoshi x reader#itoshi rin x reader#rin itoshi x you#reo mikage x reader#reo x you#isagi x you#isagi x reader#bllk x reader
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JJK MEN AS DADS !â§âË
feat. satoru gojo, nanami kento, & toji fushiguro
SATORU GOJO
literally the kidsâ best friends. satoruâs parents werenât necessarily the most active in his life so he made it a goal to have children with someone he genuinely loved â you. he is such a supportive dad and tends to overindulge in his childrenâs interest⌠one of those dads that buys boxes of mangos just because their child said they liked mangos. they wanna learn how to play a sport? satoruâs already got multiple personal trainers in his contacts to make sure your children have the best form of education when it comes to said sport. you thought satoru was playful before? oh, when heâs with his children, heâs even worse. tag, hide and seek, tic tac toe, satoruâs allowing the kids to stay up LATE, because heâs not giving up until he wins one of those games. you argue that the kids are still young, and satoru should be the bigger person and allow the kids to win but satoru isnât hearing NONE of that. def the type to let the kids stay home just because they said theyâre feeling âsick.â you kinda had to step in at a point because the kids got on and started lying just to stay home. regardless, this man loves his kids and is willing to do anything to ensure that they, as well as his lovely wife, you, live a happy and comfortable life. one time after a long family trip, you and satoru were settled in your room while the kids were asleep and he started getting emotional because he genuinely wondered what he could have done to deserve such a loving family :(( poor baby. underneath the playful facade he puts on for the kids, he just wants to make sure they never doubt that their father loves them. you always reassure him that you and the kisses are blessed to have a husband and a father like him.
NANAMI KENTO
you and his daughter are the light of his life. thereâs no place heâd rather be than home. he loves it here. he has a portrait of you and his daughter playing in the backyard at his office and always looks at it to cheer him up when heâs having a bad day. recently, your daughter has been clinging and missing him more and she absolutely hates it when kento leaves. your daughter literally takes your phone to text nanami and is constantly checking up on him at work. itâs one of the things he looks most forward to when going to work. he also loves facetiming her when heâs on break because she is always asking for nanami at home and he feels so bad.. always reads her a bedtime story before kissing her forehead and tucking her in goodnight. you and nanami recently started doing road-trips every summer to the beach because your daughter has had a recent infatuation with fish. after a long day at the beach, you, him, and your daughter walk on the boardwalk as nanami carries the little one in his arms, your hand in his as you all admire how pretty the beach is at night. itâs so sweet because nanami loved the beach growing up. the fact that he has the opportunity to go with his new family now, he couldnât be more grateful. never fails to tell you and your daughter that he loves the both of you more than anything in life. you guys are his purpose and motivation.
TOJI FUSHIGURO
⌠ok so iâm sure weâve seen how he has been as a father butâhear me out! toji loves you and his kid severely. toji has always been one to not wear his heart on his sleeve and guard himself but heâs been working really hard, and constantly does, so he can be the best husband and father for his child. although toji is seen as this tough guy in front of others, he has the softest spot for his child. everyday when he comes home from work, his face instantly lights up when he sees his little kid run up to him and give him the biggest hug. scoops the kid in his arm and kisses them on the cheek while he talks about how much he missed the child. heâs def the type of dad to enroll their kid in a sport, and for some reason i can see him being a serious soccer dad. like that man does NOT play. the type of dad to get really loud on the bleachers if another kid on the opposite team LOOKS at his kid the wrong way. constantly makes bets with his kid that if they score a goal heâll them candy and youâre just like⌠ykw iâll let them handle this. youâre just happy to be there tbh. i can imagine toji being the coach to your kidâs traveling team, so weekends are always full of road-trips to the destination where theyâre playing at. teaches his kid discipline and respect at a very young age. sometimes he can be a bit tough and you know itâs out of love but sometimes you do have to step in. truly, toji means no harmâhe was just brought up roughly in his household. toji parents werenât the best either so everyday heâs happy that youâre there as a guide to him so he can be the best father possible.
#aycius#jjk x reader#jujutsu kaisen x reader#gojo fluff#gojo hcs#gojo headcanons#gojo satoru x reader#gojo x reader#toji fluff#toji hcs#toji headcanons#toji fushiguro x you#toji x reader#toji x y/n#toji x you#nanami hcs#nanami fluff#nanami kento x reader#nanami headcanons#nanami x you#jjk fluff#jjk smut#jujutsu kaisen x reader smut#dad!nanami#dad!gojo#dad!toji#gojo x y/n#gojo smut#toji smut#nanami x reader
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10 Things I hate about you
[ DISCONTINUED ]
SYNOPSIS ๨ৠLee Heeseung has it all, heâs captain of the soccer team, popular, charming and hilarious (at least in his eyes). What he doesnât have though is a girlfriend OR a prom date making him desperate. You on the other hand want nothing to do with him or his silly problems, but how come you two are always clashing heads in the end?
PAIRING: soccer player!heeseung x photographer!fem reader
GENRE and TROPES: smau & written, enemies to lovers, highschool au, fluff, possible angst
FEATURING: enhypen, chuu, gaon (xdinary heroes), gyuvin (zb1), beomgyu (txt)
STATUS: upcoming (will release in April)
TAGLIST: open! send an ask or comment to be added!
A/N ๨ৠrewatched 10 things i hate about you again and now weâre here đ¤ This movie is so heeseung coded im actually sick to my stomach!! Anyways letâs pray i make this one a little longer đ
PROFILES: REAL alpha males | hamilton fans (derogatory)
CHAPTERS (title may change)
01 on my bucket list
02 jakelations
03 YOU WONT BREAK MY SOUL!
04 chivalry is REAL
05 not very dattebayo of you..
06 match my freak please
07 tba
#૮ Ëśáľ áľ áľËś á â works !#[áŻâ
] 10 TIHAY#enhypen#smau#heeseung smau#lee heeseung#heeseung x reader#heeseung x yn#enhypen heeseung#enha heeseung#enha x reader#enhypen jake#enhypen niki#enhypen smau#enha smau#yang jungwon#enhypen sunghoon#kim sunoo x reader#enha sunoo#enha scenarios#enhypen ot7#enhypen x female reader#enhypen x reader#kpop smau#kpop x reader#enha fluff#enha angst#enhypen scenarios#enhypen crack#x reader
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Protective Aaron Hotchner with wife reader during their son, Jack soccer game. Fluff and maybe suggestive đ Thanks!! :))
0.7k words
The two chairs you laid out for you and Aaron stay empty as you make sure Jack is hydrated enough before running onto the field, pressing one last 'good luck' kiss to his temple. When he's on and the coach instructs the beginning of their warmup, you settle into the chair, stretching your legs in the sun, enjoying the warmth on your skin. The weather has just begun warming up with the seasonal change into spring, yet you still wear a stolen knit sweater from your husband's wardrobe. The whistle blows, signalling the start of the game. Leaning to the side, you reached for the iced drink on the floor beside you, but when you straightened back up, you found that someone had invaded your space. "Oh! Hello." You laughed in shock, eyes flickering between the broad-shouldered man in front of you and your son's game.
"Hey! Figured since Jack's playing, this chair will be empty for a bit." His hair was greying, and he sported a salt and pepper beard, a false look of security and trust in his eyes. Furrowing your eyebrows at him, you sipped your drink silently. His failed attempt at a joke had his shoulders slumping subtly with insecurity, though he tried re-engaging you by sitting down in your husband's chair without hesitation. You blinked a couple of times, taken aback by the man's audacity. Sure, he'd taken your husband's seat - red flag number one - but why did he know Jack's name when you had no idea who he was? Aaron had cursed you with his wariness. "Which one's your kid?" You questioned cautiously, observing carefully as he took a swing of his beer at the bright hour of ten in the morning. "Oh, Bryce over there. Let's go Bryce, good job buddy!!" He yelled out towards the game before disinterestedly turning back to face you. "I'm guessing you don't recognise me?" The nameless man started, leaning back in Aaron's chair, "I always see you here. It's either you or your boyfriend right? Mostly you though. I'm guessing he's not around often." He glanced away, his beer at his lips, a cocky smirk gracing his feature. He definitely thought he got you with that one.
Glimpsing down at the ring on your left hand with an incredulous expression, you held in a mocking laugh. Opening your mouth to retort, you were interrupted by someone else's words. "Husband. I'd thought anyone would be able to tell by the ring on her finger. And I hate to be that person man, but you're in my seat." Your head snapped towards your husband's deep, authoritative voice, a smile making it's way onto your features. "Aaron! You're early!" You jumped up, throwing your arms over Aaron's shoulder and pulling him towards you for a chaste kiss. Aaron returned your smile, letting his hands linger at your waist before turning his gaze to the ill-mannered man. You pretended not to notice his intimidating glare towards the man until he left, busying your gaze with the match happening in front of you.
When Aaron's hands slipped away from your waist, you turned your attention back to him, grinning when you saw him take his rightful place on the garden chair, rolling his shoulders back. You crouched down to retrieve his drink, staring at him happily when he thanked you and took a sip from it, snaking his hand in yours. "Thought you'd take longer." You mumbled, cocking your head to the side. "I just had to drop off some papers. Couldn't spend my day off away from you two." You hummed, eyes quickly finding Jack on the field, his short legs carrying him across the floor. Aaron let go of your hand, placing his on your thigh, and you turned towards him to press a kiss on his cheek before averting your gaze again.
Curiously scanning the parents around the field, one thing caught your eye. The inappropriate father was now joined by his child's mother, clad in a matching sports set and bearing a giant diamond on her ring finger. You wonder if she saw your interaction or if she, perhaps, was busying herself with another woman's husband.
#aaron hotchner x reader#aaron x reader#ssa aaron hotchner#aaron hotchner#aaron hotch smut#aaron hotch x reader#aaron hotch fluff#aaron hotch hotchner#aaron hotch imagine#aaron hotch fanfiction#aaron hotch x you#criminal minds fanfic#criminalminds#criminal minds fics#criminal minds fic#criminal minds smut#criminal minds#criminal minds fandom#criminal minds x reader
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Make it Make Sense
Adam sat at his computer, finishing up a calculus assignment. He was trying to stay focused, but his thoughts shifted to his weekend plans. A few of his buddies were going to get together to see the football game, and he was looking forward to his club soccer game on Sunday. For all intents and purposes, it was going to be perfect.
âAre you serious?â The nasally voice of Adamâs roommate interrupts his thoughts, âI donât understand, this doesnât make sense.â Kelvin says, irritation soaking his words.
âWhatâs wrong?â Adam asks, turning towards his nerdy roommate. There were nerds and then thereâs Kelvin. At first, he was relieved to have a roommate that was going to focus on their studies. But Kelvin proved to be more of a distraction than he couldâve ever expected.
âYou know whatâs wrong!â Kelvin says, âLook!â He slams his most recent lab report on Adamâs desk, âA 91%! Thatâs an A-.â He grumbles.
âThatâs a great grade.â
âNo, no, no! You got a 96%!â He continues, âHow did you get a higher grade than me?â
You shrug, âItâs not that big of a deal. Youâll do better next time. And I know people that would kill for that grade.â Adam says, turning back to his assignment.
âNo. That still doesnât answer my question.â Kelvin adjusts his glasses, âHow did you get a better grade?â
Adam runs a hand through his brunette hair, âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â
âYouâre not supposed to be smart.â Kelvin retorts, âYou like football and you play sports. Smart people donât do that.â Adam raises an eyebrow, âYou canât be both.â
Adam chuckles, âBoth?â
âA nerd and a jock!â
Adam smirks, âAlright, well why canât I be both?â
âYou can only be one.â Kelvin insists.
âOnly one?â Adam chuckles. He wasnât what one would consider a jock. Nor was he a total nerd. He always felt he was somewhere in the middle, âHate to break it to you, but Iâm not much of either. What do you think?â
Kelvin gave his roommate a curious look, clearly thinking hard about the question. He slowly smiles.
âWell, I guess all jocks have big muscles. And I mean, those are certainly impressive.â
Adam raises an eyebrow and looks down at himself. He could see his biceps and triceps putting strain on his shirt. And his pecs seemed to be jutting out a bit more than he was used to. He lifts a hand and feels his muscular chest. It felt unfamiliar to him.
âWhat...?â
âAnd I guess it makes sense that you never wear a shirt. Jocks hate hiding their muscles.â
The chill of the room air tickled Adamâs skin, his eyes narrowing as his bare torso is on full display. Wasnât he just wearing a shirt? He looks up at Kelvin, clearly trying to make sense of what was going on.
âWow, I mean, I knew your muscles were big, but now I can really see them.â
Adam grunted as his musculature expands. His pecs filling with more muscle, while his biceps and triceps grew larger and larger. He let out a pained grunt as his shoulders broaden and his back fills with muscle. He frame a now hulking mass of manly muscle.
âAnd I always found it odd how often you shaved your body hair. Always going on about how being clean shaven helps highlight your pecs.â
Adam looked down and watched as his dusting of chest and belly hairs vanish. His skin now clean-shaven and slowly staining with a rich tan. A tan he got from all his shirtless runs. Shirtless runs? He shakes his head.
âKelvin, wh... something isnât right, bro.â Adamâs eyes widen, âDude, seriously! Cut this out, bro!â
âSay âbroâ and âdudeâ ironically enough times and soon it becomes part of your vernacular.â Kelvin mocked, âBut I doubt youâre worried about that. You care more about finding the right lighting for a quick flex.â
Adam gasps as he feels compelled. He slowly flexes his bicep, the lighting perfectly highlighting his musculature and abs. He canât help but grin.
âAnd I can tell you care even less for hygiene.â
Adam grimaces at the musky smell that wafts from his exposed pit. But slowly, his grimace shifts into a grin. Something about his man musk always brings him a sense of joy. The smell of a real man. He barely registers his brunette hair becoming lighter, until the brunette becomes a blonde.
âYeah, a blond jock. Thatâs what makes the most sense.â Kelvin continues, âBut outside of flexing and enjoying your own stench, I guess it would make sense if you were obsessed with...â
âW-wait!â Adam says suddenly, âPlease... Kelvin...â He looks desperately at his roommate.
âDonât worry, itâll all make sense.â Kelvin reassures, âBecause jocks like you are dumber than a lamppost. Barely even able to do basic math. So obsessed with your body that you donât have time to nourish your brain.â
Adamâs eyes widen as he can literally feel his brain shrinking. His intelligence, knowledge, and kindness quickly being overwritten. His school smarts replaced by gym routines and different poses. His empathy and kindness twisting into self-indulgence and narcissism. His eyes glaze over as they reflect his new IQ. A smirk forms on his chiseled face as brazen overconfidence overwhelms any semblance of decency. He looks up at Kelvin.
âThe fuck you lookinâ at nerd?â He scoffs, âYou like what you see, bro?â He flexes his biceps.
Kelvin smiles, âDonât you have soccer practice?â
âPfft soccer, bro? Really? Shit sport. I gotta lift.â Adam retorts. He looks over at his computer, âWhat the fuck is that?â He quickly exits out of his calculus assignment and stands up.
âWait, Adam...â
âAdam? Nah bro. Iâve told you 100 fuckinâ times to call me AJ.â
âRight. AJ,â Kelvin says, âDonât you need a shirt for the gym?â
The dumb chuckle that follows is music to Kelvinâs ears, âNah bro, whyâd I hide this?â He flexes again, âTrust me, the dudes and chicks at the gym dig this.â
Kelvin watches as AJ slams the door behind him. A grin forming on the nerdâs face. Everything made sense now. And while Kelvin celebrated his newfound comfort with reality, AJ took great pride in the looks he was getting from the people he passed by. Flaunting his muscles at every chance he got. His smaller brain satisfied with the attention. His dick twitching from the excitement of being lusted after. Because to him, this made sense. Who wouldnât want to ogle over his hot bod? Thatâs right, no one.
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I Dare You - Tara Carpenter
Summary: When Amber Freeman, Tara's best friend (and secret crush) dares her to win a random person over, she thinks it's gonna be an easy task. What she wasn't expecting, however, was that y/n y/l was far more interesting than she thought.
Warnings: Painter!Fem!Reader, very small mentions of sex and alcohol, non-canon/high school!AU, angst? ish?
W.C: 6.0k
a/n: She's back! This is probably not my best one but i was desperate to write something again and end my awful writers block. Anyways, i do think this will be a small series so stay tuned for that!
Taraâs head was pounding.
The school day had barely started and she couldn't stand being there any longer. Contrary to what many might think, her discomfort didn't come from the noise of lockers banging or the loud chatter and laughter of the students in the hallways. In fact, the reason had a first and last name: Amber Freeman, her best friend and secret crush, who seemed very intent on recounting every detail of her hookup with a girl last night.
âAnd then she asked me to...â
âThat's enough! I definitely don't need to hear about what sex position you used, or anything like that.â Tara held up one hand, grimacing in disgust as Amber laughed beside her, opening her locker without the slightest shame at what she had said.
âCome on, Tara! Don't be so grumpy.â The dark-haired girl gave her a fake pout, purposely trying to annoy her friend. âI needed that! Do you know how long it's been since I've been with anyone? Too long!âÂ
And not only did Tara know how long it had been since Amber had kissed anyone, she also knew exactly why it had happened. Tara had a certain advantage at school for hanging out with Amber, who carried the title of most popular and desired girl for her unattainable energy, memorable parties and, of course, singular beauty.
Hanging out with Amber and basically being her right-hand woman meant that Tara was also popular by proxy. The students knew exactly who she was and, what's more, they knew that if they messed with Tara, they would have to deal with the wrath of the implacable Amber Freeman, which came in handy when Tara needed to âgentlyâ convince multiple people in the school that Amber would never be interested in them behind her back.Â
Apparently, someone had slipped through her fingers.Â
Tara didn't bother to offer an answer to her friend, just rolling her eyes and closing her locker without much strength, so as not to make her growing migraine even worse. Unfortunately, Amber had never been the kind of person to wait for an opening to speak her mind. âYou know, I bet that bad mood of yours would be cured if you loosened up a little bit. When was the last time you kissed anyone?âÂ
âWho kissed who?âÂ
Tara leaned her shoulder on the locker behind her to watch the arrival of Wes, closely followed by Liv and Chad, who walked hand in hand, followed by the stares of the crowd of teenagers who either wanted to be them or wanted them to be gone. The trio, along with Tara and Amber, were considered the âpopular crewâ at Woodsboro High School, even though the Carpenter girl hated the term because she considered it extremely clichĂŠ and tacky.
Liv and Chad were the typical American high school couple made up of a cheerleader and a soccer player. Tara had known Chad the longest, having him as a childhood friend, and she watched first-hand as he became more and more enamored of his influence through his status as a star quarterback, especially as he gained the attention of his current girlfriend and the entire school. Liv was the typical mean girl cheerleader who was extremely empty and desperate to stay relevant in the social hierarchy. Tara didn't understand what Chad saw in her, but she put up with the girl because Amber wanted her around for some reason.Â
Wes, on the other hand, was an exception. He used to be a loner until Amber took him under her wing after she discovered his status as the sheriff's son, which the girl used as a pass to get out of trouble more easily. Wes knew that his position in the group was fragile and so he constantly tried to compensate by bringing up gossip that he found out about the whole school.
He was still waiting for an answer when Amber slipped an arm around Tara's shoulders, ruffling her hair. âTara here is in a bad mood today. I was trying to tell her that the way to solve it is with a good makeout sesh.â
You could help me with that, Tara thought, but other words came out of her mouth, âShut up. I'm just not in the mood for anything right now, that's all.â
Tara knew that hooking up with Amber, if it ever happened, would be both her blessing and her curse. Amber was the type of girl who would rather die than get into a serious relationship and, if Tara was going to be honest, she knew the girl would be a terrible girlfriend. Too bad her little crush couldnât think rationally.
Liv smirked in her usual evil little laugh. âYeah. I bet you're only saying that because you've been left on the shelf.â
Amber and Wes hissed and whistled teasingly, trying to get an even bigger reaction out of Tara. Chad raised his eyebrows in shock, glancing briefly at the shorter girl before focusing down on his phone. Tara felt a wave of pride and piled up anger rise up inside her. She crossed her arms defensively, scoffing as she glared at Liv. âOh, please. You know very well that I could get with whoever I wanted at this school.â
Okay, maybe the words were a bit exaggerated and presumptuous, but it's not like she was wrong. Popularity aside, Tara knew damn well that she was a pretty girl and she wasn't afraid or ashamed to use her charms to get what she wanted sometimes.
âWhoever you wanted, huh?â Amber smiled mischievously as she heard the phrase and the evil glint in her dark eyes, which usually appeared when she was coming up with her crazy plans, began to show. âInteresting. We should prove that somehow, Carpenter.â
âWhatever.â Tara rolled her eyes, internally wishing that the matter would be closed soon. The more Amber stared at her like that, the redder Taraâs cheeks became and that was going to be impossible to hide in a few minutes.
âAh, ah! Don't chicken out now, Carpenter.â The raven haired girl raised her index finger, shaking it in a negative. âI've got a great idea! Why don't I just pick a random person and you have to hookup with them, hm? Come on, Tara. I dare you.â
The three other teens let out more roars of approval, patting Amber on the shoulder for her brilliant idea and trying to convince Tara to go through with the challenge, offering half encouraging words and half biased questions along with âAre you scared?â and âCan you handle it?â.
The Carpenter girl felt at a crossroads. On the one hand, she definitely didn't want to do it. Her small (and growing) crush on Amber was already too much sentimental work for her, not to mention the fact that she wasn't at all keen on the idea of kissing some random stranger, especially knowing that Amber would choose the most embarrassing option possible.
On the other hand, a part of her was always tempted to indulge Amber Freeman's desires, eagerly searching for a hint of approval or recognition in those umber eyes that usually carried nothing but sarcasm and boredom.
So Tara didn't even have to consider long before she groaned in displeasure, closing her eyes and leaning her head back until it rested on the locketâs door. âFine, whatever. But if you pick some weirdo who eats his own snot, I swear...â
Tara's thoughts were interrupted by the loud noise of something hitting the floor, followed by some snickering and murmuring from everyone in the hallways. She lifted her head to see through the crowd, searching for the reason for the commotion while already hearing her friends laughing beside her.
When the crowd finally cleared enough for Tara to be able to see, she was faced with the scene of a girl slowly picking herself up off the ground, peeling off a canvas that still looked wet from her T-shirt, now completely stained with paint. Another football player seemed to be trying to apologize for something, to which the girl only responded with a nod of her still lowered head.
"Holy shit." Amber laughed, holding her stomach as if she were at a comedy show. "What a dumbass. Hey, isn't that one of Mindy's little friends?"
Chad looked up, looking away from his phone when he heard his twin sister's name being mentioned. He let out a sound of confusion at first, but following the gaze of the others, the boy finally nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Y/n Y/l."
Tara watches with furrowed brows as the girl walks further into the corridor, clearly unhappy with her ruined painting and clothes. When she focuses back on her friends, Amber's mischievous gaze is already on her. "I think we've met your challenge, Tara."
The shorter girl's eyes widened comically and she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Chad had a similar reaction
Mindy used to be part of the group made up of the childhood friends: Tara, Chad, Mindy and Amber, at least until the beginning of high school, when everything related to her became a forbidden topic and the group underwent a change of members. What happened was that the girl had called Amber a bitch for cheating on Mindy with her girlfriend at the time, causing a rift that was never repaired. Chad had to beg Amber not to do anything drastic against his sister, which she begrudgingly accepted, but also didn't allow any of the others to have contact with her.
"Amber, are you sure?" Tara subtly tried to change Freeman's mind, already anticipating the huge mess that could arise between the former friends. "I mean, she's Mindy's friend and she's kind of quiet. Maybe she hasn't even kissed anyone yet."
A bit harsh, but that's the impression Tara got from the little she knew about you. She had never heard you speak in any of the classes you had together, she always saw you either with Mindy's group or on your own and the most she knew was that you were good enough at painting to paint a mural behind the bleachers at the school's request.
Unfortunately, Amber couldn't care less about any of these set of reasons. In fact, they even seemed to encourage the dark-eyed girl, who just shrugged. "Even better. You'd be doing her a favor and we wouldn't be attacking Mindy directly. Sounds like a win-win to me."
Tara looked at the others, analyzing their reactions to the plan. Wes and Liv had already agreed to it a long time ago and were now trying to pressure the shorter girl into accepting. Chad met Tara's gaze and shrugged, although his wrinkled forehead gave away his distaste for the whole idea.
The Carpenter girl sighed, suddenly feeling crowded despite only having four people around her and an entire hallway available for her to run down if she wanted to.
The problem was that she didn't. Not when Amber's beautiful manic eyes were staring at her with such expectation, making Tara's stomach do somersaults. So Tara just nodded her head in a yes, receiving happy shouting and pats on the shoulder as a reward.
"Y/n Y/l is the target, then."
_
To say that your day sucked would be an understatement.
First of all, you'd spent the whole week racking your brains, trying to somehow find inspiration to do a painting for art class, but your creativity had gone out the window. The best you could do to produce your teacher's homework request: âRepresent a personal happy momentâ, was an adaptation of a Polaroid you had taken with your friends a few months ago.
Being a perfectionist who already thought your artwork wasn't good enough, you decided to add a few touches on it a few minutes before arriving at school, trying to convince your inner art critic that the painting wasn't so bad.
Unfortunately, the second problem came at the exact same minute you set foot in the school, or rather, the minute one of the football idiots stepped in your way, causing you to trip and fall right on top of the canvas that wasn't yet dry.
You barely heard the boy's apology, just nodding and struggling to get out of the hall as quickly as possible, wishing the ground would swallow you up soon so you couldn't hear the loud snickering of the other people in the hallways.
Luckily for you (because something in your day had to go right), you had a spare T-shirt in your locker, near the art room. It wasn't the prettiest thing in the world, having a big Jason vs Michael Myers fan art printed on it, but at least it was better than spending the rest of the day in a shirt that looked like it had been vomited on by a unicorn.
You sighed, placing the canvas, now destroyed, on one of the empty easels in the art room. The once uniform colors now blended into a mess of paint that, until earlier today, had represented your face next to those of your friends, enjoying a summer's day in Woodsboro. The green of Anika's blouse had mixed with the chocolate of Mindy's skin, the white of the sun had stained the brown of Ethan's hair and the faces of the four of you had become a single blur, exactly where you had crashed into earlier.
âI thought you didn't do abstracts.â A familiar voice echoed into the room and you turned just in time to see your favorite teacher, Ms. Crane, entering the room with her typical warm smile. As always, the art teacher was wearing a light dress and her blonde hair was perfectly tied up in a bun, which by this point was her trademark.
âI don't.â You replied simply, pointing disappointingly at the disaster on canvas you had made. âI couldn't think of anything during all week so I tried to finish it this morning, but then the paint wouldn't dry and I ended up falling on it.â
The teacher grimaced, her big blue eyes looking at you with some concern as she left her bag on her desk. âCreativity block? You've never had a problem with that before. Should I be worried that it's happened just when the theme was having a happy moment?â
You quickly nodded, trying to relieve the womanâs nerves. You weren't a sad person at all, although many people thought so because of your withdrawn behavior. You had a good life, you were a good student with a clear talent for the arts, and you had a sincere friendship in Mindy, Anika and Ethan, who had already met all the social needs you might have had.
The real issue with this project was that none of your attempts seemed right, always seeming to be missing some element or another between the memories in your brain and the movements of the brush in your hand. And yes, Ms. Crane was right about this never happening before, which was what made you the most frustrated.
The woman seemed to understand your internal dilemma and her gaze softened. âWhy don't I give you another week to finish, hm? You're one of our best artists, y/n. I know you can make masterpieces when you have your head on the right place.â
And that was the reason why the woman was your favorite teacher, far beyond just being the one responsible for the art subject. Laura Crane was extremely human and compassionate towards all of her students, even those who weren't good artists or those who went to class just to admire the young teacher's beauty.
âThank you, Ms. Crane.â You nod, feeling some of the weight on your chest being lifted. The woman waved her hand dismissively, acting as if she hadn't done anything much, even though you knew she had just done way more than any of the other old vultures who worked at the school.
You spent the rest of the day with that in your head. Your mind twisted and turned trying to find a glimmer of inspiration for your work, desperately trying to think of something that could represent your best moment of personal happiness on a 60 x 100cm canvas. The extra deadline Ms. Crane had given you made your perfectionist side feel even more intense, wanting to make a piece impressive enough to justify your lost time.
Your thoughts clouded your mind so intensely that you mechanically made your way to the history room, sitting down in your usual chair without really paying attention to your surroundings. The room, little by little, was filled up with students and, along with them, came the loud noise of chatter and chairs being dragged around. But even so, your eyes remained focused on a blank sheet of paper in front of you, while the pencil in your hand almost had to cry out for help because of the strength with which you were holding it.
You couldnât even draw a sketch. Goddammit, what was wrong with you?!
âCan I borrow a pen?â
You snapped out of your stupor when you heard a soft voice close to your ear. Raising your head a little too quickly, you found yourself facing beautiful brown eyes and dimples on either side of a smile. Honestly, that sight scared you even more because why was Tara Carpenter, resident popular girl, talking to you at that moment?
It's not like you cared about the whole âsocial pyramidâ and âpopularity rankingâ thing that mattered so much to some people at your school, but you knew that Tara and her friends didn't have the best track record with your best friend, Mindy. You didn't know the full story, but the fact that Mindy always cursed them every time the group passed by you gave you an idea that maybe they weren't such good people.
Tara noticed the confusion on your face, thinking it was due to the sudden question and not due to her presence in general, and decided to humorously complement the question. âI left all of mine at home, can you believe it?â
Not really, you were tempted to answer, but you kept your thoughts to yourself. You spent a few more seconds analyzing the girl, trying to understand why she had asked you for the pen and not the other people in the room she usually sat nearby. Tara was still patiently standing next to you, leaning slightly towards your direction, and she didn't seem to be in any rush, nor did she seem to have any bad intentions.
Overall, the only mean ones in her group of popular people were Amber and Liv, but they usually liked to be offensive directly to the faces of the students they chose as victims. The fact that Tara hung out with them was no green flag, of course, but from what little you knew of her, the girl didn't seem to be the teaser or prankster type.
With that in mind, you pulled one of the pens you used the least out of your bag and raised it towards the girl, offering it without muttering a word, wishing that the awkward (at least for you) conversation would end soon.
Unfortunately, Tara didn't seem to share the same opinion, because she pulled out the chair right next to you to sit down, dropping her black bag carelessly on the side of the table and pointing at your clothes. âNice shirt. Team Jason or team Michael?â
The question mark in your head seemed to get even bigger with the casualness with which Tara was talking to you. You knew that the girl didn't talk to many people apart from her friends and you knew even better that they generally tried to ignore your existence along with Ethan, Anika and Mindy.
Still, horror movies were your passion and you couldn't pass up the chance to talk about one of your favorite topics with a new person.
âWell, it depends on which parameter we're using. Overall, I like the Halloween franchise better and I prefer Michael Myersâ aesthetic, but I think Jason has a better lore and he would definitely win in a fight.â You tried to keep your yapping contained, not knowing exactly how interested Tara really was in your opinion, but you were surprised to see a twinkle in the girl's eye and a mischievous smile bloom on her face.
âMichael is much faster and smarter than Jason, there's no chance of him losing in a fight.â
âZombie Jason was literally immortal, Michael and his kitchen knife wouldn't stand a chance against him.â
The two of you continued to talk and go back and forth with each other's comments as if it was something you did every day. Being so intrigued and immersed in the topic of the conversation almost made you forget that you were talking to Tara Carpenter, with whom you had never exchanged more than three words in your life before, but both of you only stopped talking when the teacher called your attention, asking for you to be quiet so that he could start the lesson.
Tara didn't seem as shocked by the interaction as you were and, in fact, she continued to sit next to you even though her usual chair on the other side of the room was empty. She gave you a complicit wink before turning to face forward, a satisfied smile still playing on her face, as if she had been the winner from that debate.
And you? You did your best to pay attention in the rest of the class and not keep reliving the interaction in your head, trying to convince yourself that that conversation had been a glitch in the matrix and would probably never happen again, but it was hard now that you knew how nice Tara could be and after you had noticed the way her freckles seemed to dance across her face when she smiled.
_
âEarth to y/n?â
The voice of your best friend, Mindy, snapped you back to reality, making your cheeks feel warm. It was lunchtime and you, Mindy, Anika and Ethan were sitting at your usual table, which was a wooden picnic table, conveniently placed under the shade of a huge tree. A few meters away, closer to the cafeteria doors, was the circular table that was always occupied by the popular kids, surrounded by people who intruded on the group's chatter to pretend they were close to them at some level.
Usually you would never look in that direction and would instead be in a conversation with your friends about anything, but you couldn't stop thinking about the randomness of the moment you had with Tara earlier.
Your eyes turned to Mindy on the other side of the table, who frowned as she realized that you were intently watching the table of the people she hated most at school. Anika, next to her, followed your gaze and the edges of her lips fell in concern. âWhat? Did they do something?â
âDid they do something to you?!â Ethan asked alarmed, his body leaning towards you enough to make you uncomfortable at the invasion of your personal space. It was no secret to anyone that the boy was in love with you, especially because he had confessed it multiple times. However, no matter how many times you said you only saw him as a friend, Ethan didn't seem to move on.
âNo. It's not a big deal.â You shook your head, easing your friends' concern. Still, thoughts of your conversation with Tara seemed to beg to be externalized. âTara spoke to me in class today, out of nowhere. She saw my shirt and started asking me about which of the two was my favorite.â
âOut of the blue?â Mindy asked, still frowning, and you nodded. âWell, I know Tara has always loved horror movies. We all did.â
The meaning was left implicit, but you knew she was referring to her old group of friends before things blew up between her and Amber. Anika ran her hand over her girlfriend's arms, trying to make her feel a little better about the topic through physical contact.
The table sat quietly for a few torturous seconds until you spoke up again, breaking the silence while watching Mindy's reaction cautiously. âIt was nice. I mean, she was nice to me and the conversation was interesting.â
âCareful, y/n. Talking like that, it almost sounds like someone's got a little crush.â Anika teased you, wiggling her eyebrows in a way that made you feel even more embarrassed. You looked away to the crowded table on your far right, watching the way Tara seemed to be engrossed in whatever conversation she was having.
It was confusing. You didn't think you had a crush on Tara just because you had a nice moment with her, as much as you admitted that the girl was very pretty, but it was undeniable that something about this situation had intrigued you a lot.
Next to you, Ethan scoffed aggressively, looking irritated by Anika's little joke. âCome on! Y/n would never be interested in a person like her! What does she have to offer? Stupid parties and a basic knowledge of horror movies?â
âI don't think Tara's that bad...â Anika mentioned, looking up at Mindy for some confirmation. Of all of you, Anika was the most positive and social. Sure, she didn't like Amber for obvious reasons and neither did she like Liv because âher vibes were horribleâ, but she constantly tried to mediate for the twins when she visited the Meeks-Martin house and you knew she'd spoken to Tara and Wes at least once before.
Mindy, on the other hand, definitely preferred to nurture her rivalry with all of them, but she sighed, knowing that she could never be completely against her own girlfriend. âI'd rather make no comment. Just keep in mind that if Tara is Amber's right-hand woman, it's for a reason.â
As Ethan protested against the small positive words Mindy and Anika had spoken about the popular group, your attention turned back to the table, your mind still processing what had happened earlier. Had it been a one-off thing? Did Tara like the topic so much that she just had to talk to you? Would she have talked to anyone wearing the shirt or would you have been special for some reason?
Your eyes were fixed on the opposite table, but your thoughts were racing, creating a thousand and one possibilities with a creativity you wished you'd had to complete your painting. You were so lost in your own mind that you hardly noticed the rest of the world around you.
Or, at least, that was until Tara caught you staring at her.
_
âThe poor girl is so into you.â
Tara looked away from you to focus on Amber, who was sitting right in front of her with her legs propped up on the table. She had her back turned to where you were at, but somehow her fox-like senses knew exactly that you were looking in that direction.
As time passed, fewer admirers surrounded the table, picking up on the implicit hint that Amber would only give them crumbs of attention for a few seconds until she started to get annoyed by the presence of the crowd of opportunistic losers. The place was now only occupied by their inner circle, but Tara still felt like there were too many people.
âI bet she almost cried when you paid attention to her.â Liv laughed evilly, sitting on Chad's lap in a position that definitely didn't look comfortable for the boy.
Tara shrugged, feeling the gaze of the whole table on her, waiting for updates on her challenge. âIt was no big deal, we just talked about movies.â
The truth was that Tara had enjoyed the conversation far more than she could have anticipated. Her initial plan had been to borrow a pen and âforgetâ to give it back so that she would have a reason to look at your Instagram and send a message after class (which she had actually half done, as your pen was still in her bag), but your t-shirt offered an opening that fit Tara's plans like a glove.
She had missed being able to discuss horror movies outside of the internet. Amber couldn't have a full debate because her patience ran out as soon as people disagreed with her and that made her aggressive. The others in the group didn't care that much about the genre and the most Tara could talk to them about was the basics of âwhich of these movies is scarier.â
The last time she had actually talked about the topic in a pleasant way had been with Mindy and that had been a long time ago. Tara hadn't even realized how much she had missed it.
âWell, I don't think it'll be long before she falls for you, anyway.â Amber shrugged, looking as bored as she usually was. âMaybe I made it a little too easy for you.â
âI've asked around and I'm pretty sure that y/n has never been with anyone. That makes things more interesting, doesn't it?â Wes said, once again trying to make himself valuable to the group with his information. The platinum-haired boy looked at Amber expectantly, like a puppy eagerly waiting for a treat.
Tara couldn't help but wonder if also looked at Amber like that, even though she didn't realize it.
âEh. It depends on how she reacts afterwards.â The dark-eyed girl threw her head back, making her chair stand on just two feet. âCan you imagine if she just chooses to ignore Tara? Bo-ring.â
The conversation kept going on that topic but Tara was suddenly distracted by the sound of her phoneâs notification ring vibrating in the back pocket of her jeans. She took the device in hand, seeing on the lock screen a new message from Sam, her sister.
Sam: Hey, I'm stuck at work until later. Canât give you a ride, sorry.
Tara huffed with annoyance, not even bothering to reply and just placing her phone back. âAmber? Can you give me a ride home after class?â
The raven-haired girl hissed and grimaced, almost managing to sound apologetic even though Tara knew she didn't actually give a damn. âSorry, T. I'm going to buy some stuff for the party on Saturday, so I can't.â
Maybe it was for the best. Tara always felt more attracted to Amber when they drove alone in her car, either because the conversations seemed more sincere or because the Freeman girl could be extremely attractive when she drove with only one hand on the wheel. If Tara was trying to get rid of this little crush on Amber, spending hours in a car alone with her might not be the best idea.
âItâs alright. I need to walk more anyway.â Tara shrugged, pretending not to be annoyed by the situation. Taking the school bus wasn't an option, because it would take twice the time as walking, and hitching a ride with any of her other friends would be either awkward or stressful.
So, after class was over, the younger Carpenter made her way home with her bag on her back and her headphones in her ears. It had been a while since she'd had to walk home, at least since Sam had come back from rehab, but at least it gave her time to catch up on her thoughts.
It took less than 20 minutes for her to get home, throwing her bag on the sofa carelessly and turning on the TV to fill the uncomfortable silence in her house. A rerun of an SNL episode was on and Tara hoped that the sound of the audience's laughter would make her feel a little better about the shitty day she'd had.
But then again, Tara couldn't remember having a completely good day ever since Sam had come back from rehab and had forced their mother into one as well, trying to help the woman with her drinking problem.
The girl went to the kitchen and got herself a glass of water, while in the living room, the audience laughed at some of Bowen Yang's skits. She had hoped that the cold water would relieve her negative feelings but it didn't do any good, because all Tara could feel was irritation.
Yes, she was annoyed that Sam couldn't pick her up. Yes, she was angry that her life had turned upside down ever since her sister had returned. Yes, she was pissed that she wanted to vent to someone, but she knew that her best friend wouldn't give a damn about being a good listener. Yes, she was enraged about having feelings for someone she knew would only break her heart
And GOD, how angry she was with herself for going along with this idiotic plan just to get one iota of Amber's approval. Tara felt ridiculous, even more so now that she knew that you were a nice and kind person, even if you were a bit closed off.
But the girl was wracked by conflicting feelings and she just wanted them to stop. She urgently needed a distraction, be it drinks, or a movie, or...
Or Amber was right and maybe Tara really did need to have a fling with someone to relieve her tension.
She wasn't thinking straight when she reached for her phone in her back pocket again, opening it straight to the Instagram app and finding her feed full of photos of people she followed, but she didnât waste time on them as she was a woman on a mission. Tara leaned on the kitchen worktop, both elbows propped up as she searched for your name in the search bar.
The girl huffed when she found nothing on her first search and then decided to appeal to Mindy's profile, digging through the accounts she followed to try and find any that might refer to you.
Two minutes later, Tara came across an account called âpinceaudey/nâ, which had a painting portrait as the profile picture. That's got to be it, she thought, wasting no time in opening the profile which, fortunately for her, was public. More laughter was heard from the TV, but this time Tara finally felt her mood change to something more positive.
The profile didn't seem to have any photos of you, but it was full of photos of paintings and other things related to art. Tara didn't linger on any of them. The less she connected with you, the easier it would be to have a hookup and leave, which was exactly what she needed. No more complications.
Still holding her phone, Tara crossed the kitchen to walk right back to the living room, looking in her bag for the item she had âaccidentallyâ forgotten to return. She took the opportunity to look through the curtained windows, seeing that night was beginning to fall, darkening the streets and making Tara's heart race. She hated being alone at home and hoped that Sam's shift at the antique store wouldn't take much longer.
Finally she found the pen, just as Megan Thee Stallion began her performance as the show's musical guest. Tara held the object between her fingers and took a quick photo, sending it to your DM with a text. âHey so i accidentally stole your pen lmao.â and then, âI promise to give it back tomorrow.â
A few seconds had passed and you still hadn't seen it. It was alright, maybe you just had some better things to do other than stare at your phone, but for some reason, Tara couldn't stop herself from biting her nails in anxiety.
Maybe it was because it was late at night and she felt lonely, or maybe it was because she was in a particularly chatty mood that day, but without a second thought, her fingers typed out another message to keep the conversation flowing.
btw who do you think would win between Freddy and Leatherface?
As she waited for a reply with a small smile on her face and music playing from her TV, Tara finally felt less alone at home.
Maybe Amber was right. Maybe she needed a distraction.
#scream#scream vi#scream 2022#scream x reader#tara carpenter x reader#jenna ortega x you#jenna ortega imagine#jenna ortega x reader#jenna ortega#scream x you#scream imagine#tara carpenter x you#tara carpenter imagine#tara carpenter
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john price is a relatively new soccer coach. he retired a few years ago as one if the greats because of an injury. he's worked his way up from assistant to the main man in a relatively short amount of time. his first season had a rough start, but ended up with his team going to the semifinals. price is proud of the progress, but he wants more and is total workaholic. he's gruff and mean, but good at his job.
he has tons of thirst traps on tiktok that johnny occasionally shows him. loves a good pint at the end of game night, but hates coming home to his empty flat.
price is known to be a flirt to journalists and potential sponsors to get the best cut, but he never goes home with any of them. he stays away from fans and anyone who's interested. geninuely thinks he'll never have a sweet thing to come home to after his divorce, and with all the young blood around. low self confidence from his wife's infidelity and how his body has changed in retirement. imagine his surprise when he ends up pursued by you.
---
you end up meeting completely outside of soccer, to his surprise. it's one of those rare moments he gets outside the field. price is working on plays and watching film in his favorite little coffee shop when you bumble up to ask if the seat across was taken. of course price lets you sit.
you're very obviously younger than he is. he's quickly taken by your sweet little smile at him once you notice his blatant staring. quickly calms and rights himself- there's no way you don't have someone at home.
however, you two seem to fall into a routine. john finds himself coming to the coffee shop more often and sharing his table with you. he didn't realize the reprieve he needed from his seemingly 80 hour work week.
maybe it's the narcissism, but price is ready for the rug to be pulled out. at the beginning, he doesn't completely believe that you're not aware of who he is. he's convinced you're an undercover journalist for a tabloid for awhile, but after a visit or two without a page dedicated to him he's quelled his fears.
you're not obvious about wanting more than coffee, but you drop hints to him. there's a new movie you're really wanting to see, he hopes you have a good time with your girlfriends. you want to go for a walk on a new trail, be sure to carry pepper spray. ice cream is really good someplace and you want to try a new flavor, tell him if it's any good. he can see you deflate a bit everytime he refutes you, but he's saving you both from heartache. at least that's what he thinks.
---
one day, price's out with a whiny johnny, cold kyle, and tired simon. he normally wouldn't risk coming by the shop when you could be there with these beasts, but he's desperate and thinks you're busy.
it's a rude sight across the street when he sees you outside the shop with another man. he is close; too close for john's comfort. a lazy hand on your waist with your arms on his shoulders. price nearly faints when you press a sweet little kiss on the fuckers cheek. hell nah, price's face is enough to scare the most hardened war criminal.
as soon as your loverboy walks away, price forgets all about the boys. he walks over to you with a purpose, ignoring the way his heart stutters when you smile at him with flushed cheeks. the smile quickly fades when you see his murderous expression.
"oh! john! it's good to see you! i was just-"
price is in your face, huffing your air, eyes demanding an answer for your supposed infidelity. he doesn't know where this sharp pang of possessiveness has came from, but he's not sure if he wants it to leave.
" wha' you doing with that other bloke, love? this 's our spot. only me you're s'pposed to ask for ice cream, uh huh? don't like it when yur with other men"
he spits the last word, like it's acid in his mouth.
you look up at him with furrowed brows and a harsh blink.
"i don't understand, john"
"mhmm, wrong answer, dolly."
he's worked himself up into a fit now. the boys all watch as he attempts to calm himself, least he scare you.
"love, ever since you sat at that table you've been mine, uh huh? don't be throwing a fit, c'mon, you're the one who was with the other bloke"
anger blurs across your face as he speaks and he knows he's fucked up
"yeah, i can't do anything, huh? you won't do anything with me! you ignore my attempts to get to know you better, john. we share a table, for god's sake, not a house! you're the one who's snubbed me" you're fuming, but still going.
"so what if i want a normal relationship without having to wonder whether the man is actually interested in me? he wants to do things with me, john. can you blame me?"
you're a bit teary at the end, staring up at him with disappointment in your eyes. kyle, johnny, and simon have slipped inside to let you two squabble, but they're watching keenly through the the window.
"love, I-" john starts but you must not like the look on his face, as you interrupt him again
"no, john. i can't keep doing this. find me when you grow some balls of get some sense."
price is tempted to grab you and ask you to listen, but you're already gone. he's left on the pavement with three inquisitive sets of eyes staring through the glass.
---
would you guys be interested in a part 2? feel like i didn't do this idea justice, but ill link if i do another part
#call of duty x reader#call of duty modern warfare#call of duty modern whorefare#taskforce 141 x reader#task force 141#john price#captain john price x reader#john price x reader#captain john price#john price x oc#captain johnathan price#captain price#john price x y/n#john price x you#captain john price x you#captain john price x female reader
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kiwi and layla - sjy
pairing. jake x fem!reader synopsis. in which you mistake jakeâs backpack for your own, making you each go home with the otherâs bag. both of you are too curious for your own good, so you quickly find out that you excel in the subject the other is failing - a mutual tutoring agreement ensues, and it turns into much more than what you had expected. genre. high school au, f2l, lots of fluff and some angst too, f2l, shy reader x outgoing jake warnings. food & swearing, mention of parent death and divorce, kms jokes, jake being stupid but also really cute (lmk if i've missed any!) word count. 26.3k a/n. this is part of the unexpected collab !!! go check out the other fics and caelin thank u for hosting <333 hope u guys like this one, it took me a while but i had so so much fun writing it !!! i love my jakey in here he's a little bit confused but he's got the spirit. @zreamy thanks for being the world's awesomest beta reader and a decent friend ig... 2 baddies wouldnt be the same without you... lifeguard wet body sunghoon coming soon guys dont miss it! as always pls remember how important reblogs and feedback is for us writers!!! it's what keeps us going <3 enjoy!!
listen to the playlist!
This was not your backpack.Â
In your defense, it looked so similar to yours - scratch that, it was the exact same as yours - that you couldnât possibly have been able to tell the difference between the two bags until youâd opened one of them. Just a basic black Eastpak that probably a hundred other kids in your school owned with nothing to tell them apart, because you hadnât had the mind to add a little something to it and make it recognizable. You hadnât really needed to - your backpack was always on your back, next to your seat or in your locker. There was no way you might lose it or mistake it with another.
Until today, obviously. Instead of having a chill last class before spring break like every other teacher, your psycho math teacher Mr Choi had decided to give you a major test on this otherwise beautiful Friday afternoon. While other students watched a movie or played Kahoot, you were stuck in a cold classroom with algebra questions in front of you. Mr Choi had argued that this would be better than having a test after the holidays and ruining your time off with studying, but a test was a test, and math was math, so you hated the idea anyway.Â
To eliminate all cheating possibilities, Mr Choi made his students only take a pencil and eraser with them, leave their bag at the back of the classroom and put their phone in a box he kept on his desk. Plus, with his hawk eyes watching intently, there was no way to sneak answers on a small sheet of paper or even on your palm.Â
When the test was over, your brain was so fried and you were so eager to get the hell out of there that you didnât even notice the two identical black backpacks next to each other, you just grabbed the first one you saw, not even questioning that it might not be yours.
And indeed, yours it was not. From your snooping around, you quickly found out it belonged to one Jake Sim.Â
You knew Jake. Although youâd been attending the same school for the past three years, you could probably count the number of times youâd talked on one hand - but you knew him. Or at least, you knew of him. You knew that he was good at STEM subjects and that he was on the soccer team; you knew he was a really sweet guy and was easy to talk to, even for someone shy like you.Â
Most importantly, you knew he was friends with Park Sunghoon. This was important because you had liked Park Sunghoon since the moment youâd laid eyes on him - or rather, your whole friend group had. It mightâve sounded extremely odd to others, but you and your friends had a few random people at school you liked to keep tabs on or create backstories for, and Sunghoon, because of his dashing looks that had struck all four of you in your first week of freshman year, was one of your victims. Well, you liked to think of them as characters on a TV show rather than victims, but to each his own. Your other characters included that popular sophomore who already considered herself a celebrity because of her ten thousand followers on TikTok anyway, the French and Spanish teachers you were sure had a thing going on, and that one guy in Yenaâs biology class that only showed up every two weeks but always looked stoned (hat guy, Chaewon liked to call him, even youâd never once seen him with a hat on). It was all harmless, really - none of you ever actually went up and talked to them, just discussed them among yourselves.
Perhaps Sunghoon was different, because each of you had had a class with him at some point, so youâd all had at least shared a word with him. You probably hadnât talked to him more times than youâd talked to Jake, so the information you knew about him was pretty surface-level - he was an ice skater, but everyone knew that, and he was shy like you, which was immediately noticeable. He also had one of the most handsome faces youâd ever seen. But again, everyone who saw him knew that.
You, Yena and Chaewon had debated whether one of you should just go ahead and make a move (Hyewon didnât participate because she already had a boyfriend, but she was all for approaching the boy). You guessed you could describe what you felt towards Sunghoon as a sort of crush, even if it was one you shared with your friends - you found him cute, and you got nervous when he was around. But you were more the watch-from-afar-and-pine type, so you were satisfied with liking him from a distance. You didnât think you actually had the guts to strike a conversation with him - that was more Chaewonâs thing.
However, this didnât mean you werenât curious about the contents of his best friendâs backpack. Your being shy didnât mean you werenât interested in other peopleâs lives - if anything, you were quite nosy. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but you were just a regular teenage girl, so this was fine, right? After just a few minutes of snooping, you found out Jake Sim wasnât hiding any big state secrets in his Eastpak, anyway. Just some textbooks, notebooks, and a lot of single sheets of paper. It was pretty messy in there.Â
Your idea of him being good at STEM subjects was correct - he kept all of his graded tests in the sleeve pocket of his math notebook, and there was not a single one that had received a note under 95. He even seemed to be doing some extracurricular exercises - there were formulae that were completely unfamiliar to you and that you were sure you hadnât done in class. You found it slightly insane, but that might have just been because you despised math and wouldnât understand why someone would want to do more of it than was required of them.Â
His English homework was another story. His essays had more red from the teacherâs pen than his own black ink, and from the grades on his reading comprehension tests, you highly doubted heâd actually read any of the assigned books. You werenât in the same English class but apparently had the same teacher, Ms Park, so you were studying the same thing. You couldnât help but cringe as you read his answers on a Pride and Prejudice reading test - he seemingly kept mixing the sisters up, assigning actions and character traits to Lydia that clearly belonged to Jane. At least he somewhat got Darcy right, writing that âheâs probably not as bad as he looks,â with no further explanation.Â
As you aimlessly flipped through his English notebook, curious about the way he took his notes - or if he even took any - you noticed some scribbles in the margins. Looking closer, some of them were in his handwriting while others were in an unfamiliar one. It looked like some sort of conversation, so you assumed the other writing belonged to his deskmate. You also did this with your friends in classes where the teacher was very strict about no chatting in class.
dude coach said if I fail any of my classes I would be out of the team, you read Jakeâs handwriting.
Wait seriously????
yeah and I suck at english so Im scared it might actually happen
You just need to study more bro
bro I DO but this shit is hard
Then find someone to help you
neither of you guys is that good in that subject either tho
Ok ouch but also just find someone else then
bro who
IDK manÂ
Y/N maybe ? sheâs good at English and sheâs nice so she might say yesÂ
there you go about y/n again dude MAYBE you ask HER to teach you some sonnets
Shut up youâre the one who needs help dumbass
whatever isnât it weird just asking her randomly though like i dont want her to feel like she has to say yes
Lol if she sees your grades she might do it out of pity
fuck u man
You were surprised to see your own name written there - it felt weird knowing that Jake and his friend were talking about you, for some reason. And what if that friend was Sunghoon? You had a hard time believing he not only knew you existed, but thought of you as good at English and nice. You liked to think both of these things were true.Â
He was also spot-on about saying you would agree to helping out Jake in those subjects, but what he got wrong was thinking youâd do it out of pity. Clearly, you and Jake were in very similar positions. You didnât have any sort of club youâd be kicked out of if you failed a class, but it sure as hell wouldnât look good on your college applications, so you needed to get your math grades up.Â
Jake and you both desperately needed something the other person could help with, so you had a feeling he wouldnât turn down the offer that was brewing in your head.
â
This was not Jakeâs backpack.
He noticed it right away - it was much heavier than his own and the straps were tighter around his shoulders than they should be. He looked inside for some clues about who it might belong to, and luckily, the first thing he found was a journal that had Y/NâS DIARY written on the cover page in big, pink letters.Â
Unluckily, however, heâd also noticed that you had practically sprinted out of the classroom as soon as the bell rang, and indeed, you were already far gone when he tried looking for you around school. He had to get to soccer practice anyway, so he put the issue to the side for the time being.
When he got home, he had to shower then have dinner, so it wasnât until 8 p.m. that he remembered he had your backpack. He had meant to text you straightaway about it, and he knew it was wrong to look into someoneâs belongings, but he couldnât help himself, especially when his best friend Sunghoon had liked you for ages. Maybe this was an opportunity to find out more about you.
Your mind-blowing grades in English donât come as much of a surprise to him, and after reading through your most recent essay, he thought you definitely deserved them. Your essay was on a Shakespeare play he had never heard of - you apparently also had Ms Park for English, and he didnât know she was doing Shakespeare in class, so he wondered for a second if you were actually crazy enough to read another book and study it. As if 300 pages of Jane Austen werenât enough as it was.Â
What shocked him were your math grades. It was like looking into a fucked-up mirror: while you excelled at English, you sucked at math; while he excelled at math, he sucked at English. You were just as close to failing your math class as he was at failing English.
Now that he thought about it, maybe Sunghoonâs idea hadnât been so dumb - you could help him out, and he had an actual argument as to why you should, rather than just using pity on you.
As he put your stuff back in your bag, he was reminded of something - your diary. For some reason, the pretty floral pattern on the cover made him feel even worse for opening the journal in the first place, but he did it anyway. Either youâd only just picked up the habit of writing in a diary or you had finished your previous one recently, but this one seemed pretty new, as only about ten pages had been filled with your neat handwriting. Judging from the dates at the top of almost every page, you wrote in there everyday, and Jake only felt even worse that you hadnât been able to write in it that day.
Still, he flicked to the first page and started reading. And he read and read, unable to take his eyes away from your diary. He thought he wouldnât have cared much and a page would have satisfied his curiosity, but the way you wrote about the people around you and about yourself fascinated him. Basic high school things like friend drama and annoying teachers actually became interesting through your words. You didnât use particularly complicated sentences or unheard-of words, on the contrary, you used simple language, and that spoke a lot more to Jake than any of the classics heâd attempted to read for class.Â
And then, he saw an all too familiar name in an entry dated from just a few days ago.Â
I sat next to Sunghoon today. It was during physics and both of our desk partners were absent, so Mrs Kim made me change seats. She always does this, and I used to wonder whether she hated to see an empty seat or to see a student sitting on their own, but whatever the reason, today, I was just happy about it. This isnât our first time sitting next to each other in class, but I was still nervous, since I wasnât expecting it. I hope he couldnât feel the awkwardness practically oozing off of me or the way I very obviously struggled with the exercises (obviously, anything to do with math is not my forte). We shared my textbook because heâd forgotten his, and he showed me his notes when he saw I couldnât keep up with Mrs Kim as she told us what to write down. We only exchanged a few words but I was satisfied when class was over. Itâs odd, because youâd think someone would want to talk to the person they like and get to know them more, but I donât feel that with Sunghoon. Maybe itâs because weâre both so introverted, and he seems to have just as hard a time as I do starting conversations, so Iâve sort of accepted our silent fate. Iâm fine just continuing to steal glances at him from across the cafeteria.Â
After that, there were a few more pages of writing up until yesterday's entry, but it was the only mention of Sunghoon. Jake had apparently been wrong to think that a girlâs diary would be full of rantings about her crush and things along the lines of âomg, he looked at me todayâ.Â
But you had very clearly referred to Sunghoon as the person you liked, and Jake wasnât going to let that go so easily. This was precious information that he held in his hands now, so he had to figure out how to deal with it properly for your sake as well as his friendâs.
Turns out there was more he could help you with than just algebra.
â
Seeing Jake Sim in a setting other than school was slightly odd, if you were being completely honest.Â
You had just been about to text him about the backpack mix-up when youâd received a message from the man himself, asking if you could meet up the next day to exchange them. In response, youâd asked where you should meet, thinking heâd offer either his house or yours, or some halfway point between them, but he surprised you by proposing some cafĂŠ in the center of town. They have good hot chocolate there, heâd said, and that had been enough to convince you.Â
And also I have something I want to talk to you about.Â
Your stomach had turned at this message - what on Earth could Jake Sim need to discuss with you had been your first thought, and then you realized you also had plans you wanted to share with him. So his idea of going to a cafĂŠ was actually good for you, too.
Youâd only been waiting for about five minutes when he appeared at the cafĂŠ, red and panting from seemingly sprinting to his destination.Â
âY/N, Iâm sooo sorry,â he immediately said when he saw you waiting. âI was planning to be early, but when I got on the bus I realized I literally forgot your bag, so I had to go back but the next bus wasnât for another twenty minutes so I just ran the whole way here, and now Iâm all sweaty, and Iâm late, and Iâm really sorry.â
Heâd rushed through his sentence and was breathing heavily as he looked at you expectantly, waiting for your answer. He seemed so genuinely sorry for such a small thing that after your surprise faded, you started laughing. It was his turn to be surprised, and he immediately stopped talking at the sound of your soft giggles.
âItâs okay, Jake. I havenât even been waiting five minutes,â you explained, smiling. âLetâs just go in, yeah?â
Jakeâs heart did something weird just then, and the feeling was so unfamiliar and confusing that he decided to promptly ignore it. As if in a daze, he stood still for a couple of seconds until the sound of a bell ringing, the one the cafĂŠ had on its doors to signify the entrance or exit of a customer, snapped him out of it. He followed you into the shop, let you order and pay for you both (âIâm the one who took the wrong bag, itâs the least I can do,â youâd said) and sat across from you at a booth in the back.
You gave each other your respective bags back, then started chatting as you sipped on your hot chocolates (Jake had been right - they really were delicious). He was surprisingly easy to talk to, and whether he sensed you were a reserved person or was just naturally talkative, you liked that he both managed to do most of the talking and ask you loads of questions at once. Usually, you wouldnât have really cared to listen to someone go on and on about their passion for soccer and the recent game that their team had won, but for some reason, you were hooked on Jakeâs every word. The way his eyes widened in excitement as he recounted the winning goal he scored, the way the volume of his voice decreased as he filled you in on the team gossip even though no one was listening to your conversation, the way his grin turned into a proud smirk as he mentioned his coach congratulating him - every single one of his actions had you mesmerized. Youâd never seen anyone so expressive in their speech, never seen anyone punctuate every sentence with a movement or a facial expression. It was just fun, listening to him.
Even when he didnât talk, he stayed expressive. He asked you whether you did anything outside of school, and he listened intently as you told him about the theater group youâre in, humming and nodding and laughing at all the right moments. Usually, you wouldnât have talked about it for more than thirty seconds, afraid to bore others with unnecessary details, but Jakeâs reactions and the questions he asked made you actually feel listened to and like what you were talking about was interesting. So you grew more confident and told him what you loved about acting and about theater, about your own gossip (the arrogant actress who got the lead role and thought she was better than everyone else, that one guy who was clearly flirting with three girls at the same time), and you almost couldnât believe Jake seemed so entertained by your stories.Â
âSo, you said your group focused on more classic plays, right? Does that mean youâre good at English Lit?â
With his spoon, Jake scooped some whipped cream into his mouth, hoping he was appearing as nonchalant as he was trying to be. He had to make you think heâd deduced that just now and not because he had been snooping through your backpack just the night prior.Â
You, however, could not have cared less how heâd figured it out - you were just grateful he had segued into this topic of school and grades, because youâd been wanting to bring it up yourself but had no idea how.
âUm, yeah, actually, itâs my best subject. Math, on the other handâŚâ
You chuckled as his eyes widened and he leaned in across the table, pointing his spoon at you as he spoke. âSee, thatâs interesting, because math is my best subject, but I suck at English Lit.â
âOh, really?â you asked, trying to sound genuinely surprised even though this piece of information was not at all new to you.
âYeah,â he said, looking back down at his almost-finished drink with a small smile on his face.
âYou know-â
âYou know-â
You and Jake had spoken at the same time, and your eyes locked for a second before you started laughing. You gestured at him to go on first.
âI actually need pretty urgent help in English. Coach said heâll put us out of the team if we fail even just one of our courses, and Iâm very close to failing that class.â He took a moment to let out a sigh. âSo, if you want, we could help each other out. Me with math, and you with English.âÂ
His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and he bit his lip as he looked at you expectantly. You thought he looked far too nervous for such a simple request, expression more like a boy whoâd just asked his crush to the prom rather than offering mutual help you both desperately needed. You couldnât help the smile that grew on your lips - you had never known Jake Sim to be so⌠cute. But he was waiting for an answer, so you pushed the thought out of your head.
âThatâs a great idea, actually,â you replied, as if you hadnât had the exact same idea. You were just relieved you hadnât even had to bring it up yourself. âI also really canât afford to fail math. It would look terrible on college applications.â
Jake let out a long, loud exhale. âGod, yeah, college, I hadnât even thought of that. Even more motivation to get better grades now,â he said with a chuckle.
You chuckled along, then cleared your throat and sat up straighter. You watched with amusement as Jake mirrored your actions and even the fake serious frown in your brows. You presented your hand for him to shake, which he did without hesitation.
âSo itâs a deal then. Weâll tutor each other until weâve gotten our grades up.â
âDeal,â he replied. As you both withdrew your hands, he dropped his serious facade and burst into giggles, a sound you hadnât expected from the boy but somehow fit him well. You watched his face closely for a second, noticing the curl of his lips and the crinkle at the corner of his eyes, before breaking into laughter yourself.
You stayed in the cafĂŠ for another half hour, going over details of where and when youâd meet, of what exactly you needed help with (âEverything,â youâd said, to which Jake had replied âSameâ), and just talked some more.
âIâm taking the 53 that way,â Jake said when you exited the cafĂŠ, pointing towards the bus stop.
âOh, so am I!â you exclaimed.
âSeriously?! Whatâs your stop?â
And thatâs how you and Jake figured out you only lived two bus stops away from each other.Â
âThatâs so cool! Itâll make it easy to meet up then,â he said, and you hummed in agreement. After a pause, he added: âBut if we live so close to each other, how come we didnât go to the same schools earlier? Arenât you usually supposed to go to the one in your district?â
âI used to live in another part of town,â you explained. âThen my parents divorced when I was in middle school, and I stayed with my dad because he lived closer to the school I was at, but I moved to my momâs place for high school.â
ââCause she lives closer?â
âYeah, basically.â There was more to it, but you didnât think Jake would be particularly interested in your parental issues - although you surprised yourself for even considering telling him. If Jake sensed that you werenât saying everything, he didnât push, just swiftly changed the topic as you waited for the bus to come.
When you got home some time later, the first thing you did was open your diary and start writing. It had felt wrong not to write in it even just for a day, so it was a relief to feel the pages between your fingers and the familiar scent of the paper and your perfumed pen. You wrote without thinking too much, simply letting all of your musings out into your diary and freely brushing the tip of your pen across the pages.Â
You didnât ever reread your entries right after writing them, but if you had that day, you might have noticed all you could write about was the boy youâd drank a hot chocolate with.
â
Spring break week passed by far too quickly, and it was on the first Monday back at school that you and Jake met again. He had soccer practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, while you had theater rehearsals on Thursdays and Saturdays, so youâd agreed to meet up every Monday and Wednesday after school. Since his mother worked as the school nurse, she drove him to and from school everyday - so on Monday, you met Jake in front of the nurseâs station, waiting for his mom to wrap things up before she drove you both to their home.
You had been surprised to learn that the kind nurse that never asked too many questions and always let students take a nap if they didnât feel well was Jakeâs mom, but upon reflection, it made sense. Once you knew, it was almost obvious that she had raised him - they shared the same friendliness, the same comforting smile and the same ability to make conversation. The whole ride home, she asked you about yourself and thanked you for agreeing to tutor âour little Jakey,â because âGod knows he needs the help.âÂ
You couldnât help but laugh when a blush crept on Jakeâs face and he looked out the passenger seat window with an embarrassed frown, muttering something like âThanks a lot, Mom.â
She noticed his reaction and laughed along with you. âIâm just saying, Jakey-poo. Itâs good to know to ask for help when you need it,â she cooed, reaching a hand out to ruffle his hair. This only made Jake groan loudly and hide his face in his hands. You didnât know Jake very well, but this flustered, red-faced side of him was definitely one you liked seeing.
The first thing that greeted you when you reached Jakeâs house was a happy welcome home bark.
âYou have a dog?!â you exclaimed, unable to reel your excitement in.
âYeah! This is Layla,â Jake said, giving energetic rubs to the Border Collie that made her whole body shake side-to-side but that she seemed to thoroughly enjoy.Â
âHi, Layla,â you cooed, crouching down to her level to let her sniff you. She decided you were a person worthy of petting her. âSheâs so cute!â
âI think she likes you,â Jake said, a grin on his face, as he watched Layla presenting her belly to you and asking for scratches there. âDo you have a dog?â
âWe have a Corgi at home. And a cat, too.â
âThat must be fun,â Jake chuckled. âDo they get along?â
âDepends. They have a bit of a love-hate relationship.â You looked up at Jake, and it was uncharacteristically quiet as you locked eyes for a couple of seconds. You both looked away at the same time, surprised by the sudden eye contact.
You gave Layla one last rub and lifted yourself up. âUm, should we get started?âÂ
Jake paused for a second as if heâd forgotten what you were here for in the first place, then started nodding his head quickly. âRight, yeah. Letâs go to my room. Downstairs is just one big room and my mom will probably watch TV or make dinner or something, so it might be distractingâŚâ he explained, lightly scratching the back of his neck. It seemed like he was embarrassed to be bringing you to his room, which you couldnât help but find endearing.
âOkay, sounds good,â you said with a smile, hoping itâll reassure him.
You followed him up to his room, ignoring his complaints as you lingered on the framed photos on the wall next to the stairs and giggled at his baby pictures.Â
âDo not look at those,â he said with a warning tone that didnât scare you in the slightest. When you didnât listen, he grabbed your hand that had been pointing at a photo of baby Jake in the bathtub and forced you to keep walking.
âWhy?â you asked, a slight whine to your voice.
ââCause itâs embarrassing! I was an ugly baby.â
âWhat?! You were so cute!â
âWhatever. Iâd rather study English than talk about this, and thatâs saying something.â
When you looked at Jake, you were surprised to find that he actually seemed upset about this. You werenât sure what was so wrong with looking at his baby pictures, but the last thing you wanted to do was make him mad, so you stayed quiet and continued your way to his room. Once there, although you were infinitely curious about all the posters, pictures, figurines, trophies, and other small tokens of Jakeâs life, you didnât ask him about any of them, just sat next to him at his desk and opened The Picture of Dorian Grey, the book you had both been studying in Ms Parkâs class.
Youâd agreed on spending forty-five minutes on English, have a small break, then spend forty-five minutes on Math. It wasnât a lot, but you both had other homework and things outside of school you needed to do, so youâd decided to start out that way and see if it worked out.
You were glad to see how seriously Jake was taking this - he listened intently to what you said and asked questions when he didnât understand something. You quickly figured out that what he didnât like about English Literature was that the answers werenât as straightforward or as logical as they were in math, and even worse, that multiple answers were possible depending on the readerâs interpretation.Â
âIt just all feels like a guessing game,â he said, resting the side of his head on one of his palms. âHow am I supposed to know what this dude meant? And if it can be analyzed in different ways, how can Ms Park tell me the way I understand it is wrong?â
âItâs all about the way you justify it,â you explained. âYou canât just say whatever. Ms Park will look out for how you use the text to support your answers.â You then went on to pick out a specific part of the book, asking Jake to analyze Dorianâs mindset in that scene.Â
âHe sounds like heâs going insane,â Jake said flatly when he was done reading, getting a chuckle out of you.
âExactly. How do you know that?â
âI donât know, just the words he uses,â Jake replies, shrugging.
âOkay, underline those words,â you instructed gently. Jake sighed, but he complied.
âThere.âÂ
âGood. What can you say about those words?â When Jake just looked at you like a lost puppy, you reformulated your question. âWhat do they have in common? What type of words are they? Are they common nouns, verbsâŚâ
Jake looked back at the words heâd underlined on the page. âTheyâre⌠adjectives?â he said, tone unsure.
âExactly!â
Jake paused. âSo?â
âSo now you can say that the author uses many adjectives to convey the gradual loss of sanity of the main character.â
âOh.â
When you looked at Jake, he wore an expression like the words on the page were finally starting to make sense to him. âThatâs the content. You can also look at the structure. See how many punctuation marks there are? Commas, semi-colons, question marks⌠Itâs like he keeps cutting himself off. His thoughts are all over the place.â
Jake nodded slowly. âSo, I just need to look out for things like that?â
âBasically, yeah. And the more you practice, the more these things will stand out to you. It actually becomes somewhat repetitive sometimes.â
Jake let out a shaky breath. âThatâs actually relieving to hear,â he said with a chuckle.
Thirty minutes passed by like this as you showed Jake ways to make sense of a literary text. When the timer rang, he leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms out wide with a sigh. He put his hands behind his head and let it hang back, and the way your stomach flipped at the sight of his exposed neck and Adamâs apple made you look away immediately. You could barely meet his eyes as he turned his head to look at you, still in that same position, and, with a smirk, asked if you were ready for some snacks.Â
You gulped, trying to look as normal as possible. âUh, yeah, sure!â
Downstairs, Jake presented you with all sorts of snacks - there were so many, you felt like you were in a convenience store. This was worlds away from your ingredient-only household. You opted for some biscuits and a banana while Jake made himself a bowl of cereal. A very distracting ten-minute long argument then ensued about the order of milk and cereal - horrifyingly, Jake poured his milk before his cereal. You thought it was a myth that some people actually did it that way, but Jake very proudly defended his choice.Â
âI bet you eat pizza with pineapple on it, too,â you said half-jokingly, only for your joke to punch you right back in the face.
âDuh,â Jake answered.
You could only shake your head in defeat. âLetâs just get back to studying before I murder you.â
âDamn, Y/N,â Jake said, laughing. âThatâs harsh.â
âAnd youâre a freak,â you retorted, a grin blooming on your lips.
âYou know, you remind me of my friend Jay,â Jake mused as you walked back up the stairs. âHe has so many of these small battles that he just wonât let go of. He got super worked up over an argument about mint chocolate chip ice cream once.â
âLet me guess, you like that ice cream?â
Jake shrugged. âItâs not my favorite, but Iâll have it once in a while.â
âGod, Sim, you just get worse and worse.â
You sat back down at his desk and started eating. âI bet you think Iâm weird for liking math too, right?â
âThatâs the worst offense of them all.âÂ
Jakeâs sudden quietness caught you off guard. When you turned your head to look at him, he was already gazing at you with a smile and a sort of thoughtful glint to his eyes, resting his chin on his palm. It sounded like he was thinking out loud when he spoke next. âGuess weâre perfect opposites of each other. Like two peas in a pod!â
The realization of what heâd said dawned upon him as soon as the words left his mouth. He slowly lifted his head as his eyes widened. âI donât mean- just, you know, since youâre good at English and Iâm good at math, and- you know⌠I didnât mean it in a weird way, or anythingâŚâ
His eyes kept glancing back and forth between you and his bowl of cereal, as if he was scared of looking directly at you but wanted to check your reaction.Â
As a smile grew on your face, you kept your eyes trained on your biscuits so he wouldnât see your flustered expression. But when you looked at him again, he held your gaze, mouth slightly agape. You didnât have it in you that he had gotten the idiom completely wrong. âI know, donât worry.â You chuckled. âWe are opposites of each other. You just better be as good at teaching math as I am at teaching English,â you teased.
You watched as a smirk tugged one corner of Jakeâs lips up and he raised an eyebrow. âWho said you were good at teaching English?â
You gasped. âYou said you understood better now!â
Jakeâs smile softened as he giggled. âIâm just teasing. You are a good teacher.â
You sat up straighter at the compliment, a proud smile on your face. âYour turn, Mr Sim. Iâm all ears.â
âRight,â he said, mirroring your posture. âShall we start by going over Mr Choiâs test from last week?âÂ
Your smile dropped instantly at this. Reluctantly, you fished your graded paper out of your bag. You already knew Mr Choi was a psychopath, but you still didnât understand where he found the will to grade thirty papers over the weekend. You avoided Jakeâs gaze as you handed him your test with a big, red, circled D- at the top.
You cringed as Jake sighed. âAt least itâs not an F, right?â he said in what you could tell was an attempt at reassurance but somehow only made you feel worse. He looked over your answers quickly, trying to find what in particular you struggled with. âAll right. Letâs start from the beginning, yeah?â
For the next forty-five minutes, Jake went over each test question with you, breaking them down and explaining how to solve them in a way you understood. The words he used were so much clearer than the half-assed explanations you were used to from Mr Choi, and for once, math actually made some sort of sense. Your brain still felt broken after almost an hour of numbers and greek letters, but at least, you felt smarter rather than dumber at the end of it. You had never been more grateful for the sound of a phone alarm than the one signaling tutoring was over.Â
âThat wasnât half-bad, right?â Jake asked with a wide grin.
You felt so tired, you could probably pass out right then and there, but Jake looked so proud of himself after you had been able to complete an exercise correctly on your own that you didnât have the heart to tell him the truth. âRight,â you replied, mirroring his grin. âYouâre an okay teacher, I guess.â
He jokingly glared and tutted at you, but you both laughed right after. âI need to walk Layla, so I can walk you home, if you want?â he offered as you started packing your things. His words had an uncertain tone to them, as if he wasnât sure youâd still want to spend time with him after this - but it only took you a second of thinking to realize youâd rather continue hanging out with him than going home on your own.
âSure! I need to walk Kiwi too, actually.â
âYour dogâs name is Kiwi?!â
âYes,â you said, chuckling at his fascinated tone.
âThatâs an adorable name.â
âThanks, I chose it.â
âOh, then I take it back. Worst name Iâve ever heard for a dog.â
âHey!â you exclaimed, lightly hitting him on the head with your math notebook, making him raise a hand in self-defense as he laughed.
âSorry, sorry. Does your cat also have a fruit name?âÂ
A pause. âMango,â you mumbled, and he immediately burst into laughter again. You side-eyed him as you zipped up your bag.
âWow, you have amazing taste in pet names, Y/N.â
âShut up,â you said, laughing along. Then you realized something, and you suddenly stopped laughing, looking up at Jake with wide eyes that made him slightly start to panic. âOh my God, Jake, are our dogs going to meet?â
âOur dogs are going to meet,â he echoed in a sort of fascinated whisper. You both understood the other - dogs becoming friends was the cutest thing ever.
âLetâs go,â you whispered back excitedly.
When you reached the living room downstairs, you bid Mrs Sim goodbye, then went to the entrance to put your shoes back on. âYou two sure get along well,â you heard her say to her son with a suggestive tone. Even though she had dropped the volume of her voice, the door was wide open and there were only a few meters between you, so youâd heard her loud and clear.Â
âGeez, Mom,â Jake groaned, seemingly irked by his momâs insinuation.
âItâs just youâve never brought a girl home, Jakey-â
âOkay, weâre leaving now! Layla, come!â
You hadnât even realized how wide you were grinning until Jake saw you tying your shoelaces and grumbled âWhat are you smiling so hard for.â
âNothing,â you giggled, and your smile grew as you watched a grin break through his pretend-upset expression.
You sighed contentedly as you stepped outside, letting the crisp early April air hit your face. You tightened your scarf around your neck and buried your hands in your pocket and you and Jake started walking side by side, Layla happily leading the way. The streets were fairly quiet at this time of day, save for the yells of children still playing in their backyards before dinner and a few cars of people coming home late from work.
Only the first five seconds of the walk were silent, until you couldnât contain yourself anymore. âSo, never brought a girl home, huh?â you asked with a teasing smirk.
Jake let out an offended scoff and looked up to the sky as if God could help him out of this one. Sadly, He didnât, so Jake had to find an answer himself. âIâm not talking about this with you.â
âWhy not?â
Pouting, Jake spared you a sideway glance. âBecause youâre a girl,â he replied, voice lowered to a mumble.
You chuckled at this. âVery astute observation, Jake.â
âNo, I- Ugh,â he groaned before laughing along with you. âI donât need a girl to know how bad I am with- well, with girls.â
âI can help with that,â you said before you really thought about it. âI mean, Iâm not a love expert by any means, but I can maybe give, I donât know, pointers or something if thereâs someone you like-â
âThereâs no one I like,â Jake quickly cut in. âUm, not right now, at least.â
âO-okay,â you replied, nodding. âThatâs fine.âÂ
âWhat about you? Do you like anyone?â
As Jake asked the question, he realized he already knew the answer - you liked Sunghoon. How could he forget?! Half of his plan had been to make you get closer to his friend, but he hadnât even started thinking about that yet. In his defense, heâd come up with that plan three days ago.
Your answer surprised him. âUm, no, me neither. Not right now, at least,â you said, repeating his words with a smile on your face. You locked eyes for a second before looking away at the same time, chuckling.
âRight,â he said. He knew what he had read in your diary, so maybe you were just too shy to admit you had a crush on his friend of all people.
An unexpected awkwardness settled between the two of you, and you more than anything wanted it to go away. Even though itâd only been a few days since you and Jake had started getting to know each other, you already felt comfortable enough to be yourself around him, and it usually took you weeks before reaching that level with anyone. This hadnât happened since you met Yena and Hyewon at the beginning of high school - they had been friends since middle school, and so had you and Chaewon, and when the four of you met, you had instant chemistry. But maybe it was slightly too early to start talking about crushes with Jake.
For once, you were the one to break the silence - you asked him whether he knew what he wanted to do after school. Basic question, but you were genuinely curious.Â
Looking a little bashful, he confessed his dream had always been to be a math teacher and soccer coach at a middle or high school. You told him he already had the talent for it, and when he blushed at your words, you made sure to tease him for it. Â
âIâm not sure yet,â you said when he returned the question. âI know I wanna go to college and continue doing English Lit and theater there, but thatâs about it.â
âThatâs already good enough,â Jake said with a smile. âStill got time to figure out what comes after, right?â
You naturally mirrored his smile - there was something contagious about Jakeâs puppyish grin that made it hard not to smile yourself. âRight.â
The three of you reached your house quickly after that. Your mom still hadnât come home from work, so Kiwi was even more excited than usual for your arrival home. You and Jake watched fondly as your dogs sniffed each other for a few seconds before starting to run around together. The fact that they got along made you really happy, perhaps unreasonably so, and you started bouncing up and down on the balls of your feet as you watched them play. âOur dogs are friends!â you exclaimed excitedly.Â
When you turned to look at Jake, he wasnât watching the dogs like you had been - he was gazing straight at you, eyes soft with something that made your heart skip a beat. You couldnât look away, and it was only after a few seconds that he seemed to snap out of the sort of daze he was in. He cleared his throat and you finally tore your eyes away from him.
âLet me just- Kiwi! I need to put his leash around him,â you said, speaking quickly to dissipate the weird atmosphere as best as you could. You led Jake down the path you usually took with Kiwi that led to a park in your neighborhood, and you were relieved when normal conversation started again.
Jake insisted on walking you back to your house even though he had left his earlier. He made a whole show of not going until youâd walked inside and closed the door, so youâd rushed to your window to shout his name and wave goodbye at him, which made him laugh.
You turned back to Kiwi when Jake and Layla had turned a corner and you couldnât watch them anymore. âAre you happy you made a new friend, Kiwi?â
The Corgi barked happily at you in response - probably more at hearing his name than because he understood your question, but still, you liked to think you could communicate with your dog on such a level. You chuckled and took him in your arms. âMe too.â
â
Apparently, you couldnât even wave to someone in the hallway without being interrogated about it anymore.
âY/N, did you just say hi to Jake Sim?â Chaewon asked like youâd just insulted her whole family.
It was 10 a.m. on a simple Tuesday morning, the day after Jake and you had studied together for the first time, and youâd just walked past the boy - so of course, you said hi to him. Maybe, your heart started beating slightly faster when youâd noticed him approaching. Maybe, it was nice to be on the receiving end of his friendly grin.
âYes?â you replied, sentence coming out more like a question.
âSince when do you say hi to Jake Sim?!âÂ
âSince today, I guess.â
âBut why?!â Sheâd raised her voice so much, youâd gotten strange looks from other students in the hallway.Â
âI told you!â
She shook her head slowly at you as if to say, No you didnât!
You rolled your eyes and sighed. Chaewon and her early onset short-term memory loss. âThe backpack thing? And agreeing to tutoring each other? I wrote to the group chat about this!â
âOh, that! Of course I remember that,â she said, even though you knew she had forgotten about it and remembered it just now. âSo, has that started already?â
You reached the classroom for your next class and sat down in your usual seats next to each other, waiting for the teacher to arrive. Busy hallways like these were the perfect place for gossip, because they were loud and nobody paid attention to othersâ conversations. âYeah, yesterday afternoon.â
Chaewon gasped. âAnd you didnât tell us?!â
âWill you quiet down? I was going to see and tell you guys today anyway.â
âOkay, so, tell me about it.â
âBut-â
âTell. Me.â
You wouldnât see Yena and Hyewon until lunch in two hours, and you knew Chaewon didnât have the patience to wait until then. So you sighed again and obliged, telling her about your afternoon with Jake in every detail you could remember, because she would ask about insignificant things anyway.Â
To your surprise, the first thing she said when you were done talking was this: âY/N, do you like Jake?â
Your mouth opened slightly in shock at the question, but before you could even retort, you started giggling. âNo, I donât,â you said in a way that sounded like you very much did.
âOh my God! You so do!â Chaewon said, giggling along with you. âYou whore, youâve only talked to him, like, twice,â she joked.
You gasped fake-dramatically and slapped her arm. âOh please, look at Hyewon and Jaemin, they started dating after a week of talking.â
âYes, and theyâve been going one year strong, so clearly, you need to ask Jake out and get this over with. Youâll get a boyfriend and a math tutor all-in-one, itâs a perfect deal!â
âDonât get too carried away, okay? Jake and I are friends. Like you said, we barely know each other right now.â
You meant this - sure, you had had a really good time with Jake both times you saw him, and you were looking forward to your next tutoring session, but you chalked it up to the excitement of making a new friend. Plus, barely last week you felt some sort of way towards his best friend - wouldnât it be weird to practically transfer your feelings from Sunghoon to Jake?
âWhatever. Yena and Hyewon are gonna freak when I tell them,â Chaewon said excitedly.
You shook your head at your friend but couldnât keep down the amused grin on your face. âYou guys are insane.â
âOh please, like youâre not the president of our Park Sunghoon fanclub. I canât believe youâre leaving us for his best friend!â
âHey, if anything, less competition for you, right?â
Chaewon opened her mouth to say something, but the teacher arrived, starting the lesson before having even put her bag down - Mrs Lee always arrived late but never wasted a second of class when she was in the room. Your friend resorted to sticking her tongue out at you instead, and you chuckled at her childishness as you opened your History notebook.Â
â
Jake was a complete, total, utter idiot. His plan had consisted of two things only, and heâd somehow managed to forget one of them, even after talking about it with you, albeit vaguely. It had taken him two weeks and one Park Sunghoon to even remember it.
Between Jakeâs soccer practice, Sunghoonâs ice skating practice and Jayâs being away at boarding school, the three friends only had one night every week on which they were all free - Friday night. So, every Friday, they planned some sort of hang out at one of their houses and gamed or watched movies all night.
Kinda like date night, but for bros.
This was one of those bro nights; namely, the one in the second week of you and Jake tutoring each other. The boys had decided to go to the burger joint they like that night and were in the middle of a french fry fight when Sunghoon mentioned your and Jakeâs new friendship.
âSo, Jake⌠whatâs up with you and Y/N?â
Jake halted in his motions, redirecting to his mouth the fry he was about to throw at Jay. âNothingâs up with me and Y/N. What makes you say that?â
âJust, you know, you seem like youâve become actual friends. Talking in the hallways and walking your dogs together and whatnot.â
âY/N as in Y/N? Sunghoonâs Y/N?â Jay said, halfway through a bite of his cheeseburger.
âSheâs not my Y/N-â
âYes, Y/N as in Y/N, you idiot,â Jake cut in. âAnd like you said, weâre friends.â
âIs she the girl you posted some BeReals with?â Jay asked, and Jake nodded. âSheâs pretty! No wonder Sunghoon likes her so much.â
Sunghoon sighed as he let his head hang low. âGod forbid I find a girl cute, because Iâll mention it once, two years ago and you guys make me out to be in love with her.â
âSunghoon, you act like girls donât exist, so of course when you not only mention a girl, but describe her as cute, that means youâre in love with her!â
âBut Iâm not! We were literally having a whole conversation about girls, I happened to see Y/N and her friends from far away, I said she was cute, and now you guys wonât let me live it down. Jay, you werenât even there!â
âYeah, but the way Jake told me about the whole thing, it really sounded like you liked her.â
âWhy would you trust Jake to relay something like this correctly?!â
Jay paused and tilted his head. âYou have a point there.â
âHey!â
âSo you donât, like⌠like her, or something?â Sunghoon asked, looking at his friend as he sipped on his Pepsi.
This made Jake stop. Did he like you? Wasnât the fact that he was considering it sign enough? Surely, if there was nothing there, he would have answered no right away.
But there was no use thinking about it. You liked Sunghoon. And as much as he liked to deny it, Jake knew Sunghoon liked you, too. After two years, there was finally an opportunity for the two of you to get closer - Jake wasnât about to get in the middle of that. If anything, he should help his friends out. Then, when you and Sunghoon eventually got married, Jake would have the honor of saying it was all thanks to him in his best manâs speech.Â
âNo, I donât. Donât worry, Hoon, Iâm not gonna steal your girl away from you.â
âAgain, sheâs not my girl-â
âWhatever you say. Iâll introduce you guys.â
Even if Sunghoon didnât think he liked you yet, Jake knew it was just a matter of time - his friend just needed to spend a few hours with you to realize he did. You were pretty, smart, funny, nice, had the sweetest laugh heâd ever heard, got along with dogs, and even though you sometimes had weird opinions, it was always fun, talking to you. It was easy and comfortable. Anyone with taste would fall for you.
Anyone, except for Jake, of course.
â
For the past three weeks, you and Jake had gotten along perfectly, but today, on this bright Tuesday afternoon, you really wanted to strangle him.Â
When heâd invited you to come and watch him at soccer practice, youâd been surprised, but happy - usually, you invited people to watch an actual game, not just practice. But you were just glad for the opportunity to spend more time with him.Â
Without realizing it, you were giddy with excitement the whole day, counting down the minutes until classes were over and Jakeâs practice started. Jake had told you to just head to the bleachers while the players got ready in the locker room, but when you reached said bleachers, someone was already sitting there, looking at something on their phone. You recognized him immediately as Sunghoon. He didnât notice you right away, so you had time to wipe the surprise off of your face - you hadnât thought anyone came to watch practice, but Sunghoon was probably here for Jake, just like you.Â
âHey,â you said quietly as you sat down next to him. Even though you were technically still on school property, this was the first time you saw Sunghoon outside of somewhere like a classroom, a hallway or the cafeteria. You werenât as nervous as you thought youâd be, seeing him unexpectedly like this.Â
You chuckled when Sunghoon started at your sudden arrival. âOh, hey, Y/N,â he said, chuckling too, albeit somewhat awkwardly. âSorry, didnât hear you coming.â
âItâs fine,â you said with a smile as you sat down next to him on the bleachers. You didnât know what sort of distance was appropriate between you two, if you should sit close or far, but you stopped yourself before you could overthink something as trivial as that. Neither of you said anything for a few seconds and you wished practice had started before you got here, so that youâd have something to look at other than an empty field.
You broke the silence before it became too uncomfortable. âSo, do you come watch Jake often?â
Youâd been fiddling with your hands as you spoke, only turning your head to look at Sunghoon as you awaited his answer. Your eyes didnât even meet for a fraction of a second before he whipped his head to look at the field, as if unable to look at you and talk at the same time. At least he had a nice side profile for you to look at.
âUm, just on Tuesdays. I have ice skating practice after this, so I come here first, then he comes with me to the rink,â he replied. He glanced at you, lips pressed into a thin line that somewhat resembled a smile and that pushed dimples into his cheeks. You simply hummed in response.Â
âWhat about you, how come youâre here?â
âJake asked me,â you replied. Sunghoon let out a long âohâ as he nodded, turning his head back towards the field again. You didnât think youâd ever had such a slow conversation. It was like you and Sunghoon both repeated your words ten times over in your heads before saying them out loud.
âAre you coming to my practice, too?â he asked after another pause.
The question took you aback slightly as you hadnât even considered it, but it could be fun, seeing Sunghoon practice ice skating. Itâd also be fun to hang out with Jake. âIf itâs fine with you, then yeah, why not,â you replied, smiling at Sunghoon. He glanced at you again before looking away with a smile, an actual one this time that showed his teeth and made his eyes crinkle.
âYeah, sure. People usually only come to actual shows, so I like it when someoneâs there to watch practice.â Before you could find something to say, the players arrived jogging onto the field, immediately starting their warm-up laps. Some were serious about it and stayed focused as they ran, while others goofed around, running backwards and slapping other players on their butts before sprinting away. Jake, of course, was part of the latter group.
Now that something was actually happening on the field, you and Sunghoon had an excuse not to make conversation anymore. You tried to ignore it, but it was so awkward you wanted to die. You realized now why you were so attracted to people like Jake and Chaewon - without even being aware of it, they brought you out of your shell and made you feel at ease. You wished you could do that on your own, but you were always too scared, so you needed that person who was confident enough showing themselves to you first to make you feel comfortable doing the same. You and Sunghoon, unfortunately, were too similar in that sense to do that for each other. So you just sat there in silence, observing Jake and waving back at him when he caught your gazes.
The ninety minutes of practice didnât go by in total silence - you asked Sunghoon about some soccer rules you didnât get, and he shared some anecdotes from his and Jakeâs earlier teenage years, including a very entertaining story about a tantrum 9-year-old Jake had thrown when he hadnât agreed with the red card the referee had given him. You werenât sure how the topic came up, but at some point, you even shared pictures of your pets. Sunghoon had one of those small crusty white dogs, but you kept your laughter in and cooed over how cute she was.Â
But still, most of the time, you were watching Jake. You had never been interested in soccer or any sort of sport that involved balls until now. Somehow, he managed to make flushed cheeks, a heaving chest and hairline beaded with sweat look glorious. In total honesty, you were paying more attention to the player himself than to the sport, to the point that you barely noticed when he scored a goal during their practice match. It was only when Jake started cheering and high-fiving his teammates that you realized what had happened, and you gave him two thumbs up and a wide grin when he looked your and Sunghoonâs way, proudly shouting âDid you see that?!â
The realization hit you like a ton of bricks right there and then. The way your heart swelled as you watched his excited, puppyish grin take over his features was undeniable - you liked Jake. You like liked him. Your gaze continued to follow him as he finished his celebratory lap. If you couldâve seen yourself right then, youâd probably have been embarrassed by your awestruck expression and slightly agape mouth, but you couldnât help yourself.
Much to your dismay, you realized that Chaewon had seen right through you. You hadnât wanted to read too much into your feelings, but they had become too obvious to ignore. You hadnât experienced them yourself since middle school (Choi Soobin had really been a heartbreaker back then), but youâd heard about the telltale signs of a crush too many times not to know about them. It was now clear that the way you felt about Jake and the way you had felt about Sunghoon were worlds apart. Feeling nervous around him and your heart skipping a beat when you made eye contact; wanting to see him smile; laughing at all his jokes, even the bad ones; missing him even though itâd been seconds since you said goodbye, and counting down the days until you saw him again. And, yes, looking at his pictures on social media over and over again. You did all those things, so you knew there was no point in lying to yourself anymore - you liked Jake Sim.Â
It didnât help that he was always kind to you, never making you feel stupid for not understanding something in your tutoring sessions and being patient enough to explain the same thing over and over again. He always paid attention to small things, which never failed to make your heart race, like asking after your aging catâs condition after youâd told him he had a health check-up over the weekend or stocking up on your favorite snack the week after youâd told him about it. Heâd also immediately picked up on your habit of teasing the people you felt comfortable with and you loved how he returned it tenfold. It was as much fun debating with him over nothing and making him shut up with your senseless arguments as it was being rendered speechless when he came up with the perfect retort.Â
And of course, there was no denying that Jake was ridiculously attractive. There were times you got so caught up in the way his lips moved as he spoke or the way his fingers looked as he pointed at numbers on the page that your mind completely blanked out and you stopped listening to his words for a few seconds. You didnât know what to make of his small chuckle and smirk when he noticed your gaze fixated on him, but you knew it wasnât good for your heart. And letâs not even get started on the fact that sitting so close to him meant you could smell the lingering scent of his cologne every single time.
Even now, with flushed cheeks and hair slicked back with sweat, you want to run onto the field and give him a big smooch on his cheek, telling him you were proud of him for scoring that goal.
But even though you were getting closer and he had offered for you to come watch his practice, you squashed down as best as you could any hope that he might feel the same way about you. Even if he insisted he was bad with girls, Jake was popular at school, and you were sure there were many other girls who had a crush on him - so why would he like you of all people?
Sunghoonâs voice snapped you out of your thoughts. âEvery time he scores, he acts like itâs the first time heâs ever done it,â he said, chuckling and shaking his head at his friendâs over-dramatic antics. The coach was trying to get Jake to calm down so that the game could resume.
âHeâs so cute,â you said, voice quiet, before you could stop yourself. But as soon as the words were out, you realized what youâd done, and your eyes doubled in size as you turned to look at Sunghoon. He had whipped his head to look at you, too, and his eyes were just as big as yours. Then, he burst into laughter, and you hoped the Earth would suddenly open beneath your feet and swallow you whole.Â
When his surprise had subsided, Sunghoon turned to you again, an incredulous but amused glint in his eyes. âDid you just call Jake cute?â
You crossed your arms over your chest, slightly frowning as you avoided Sunghoonâs gaze. âI just meant, you know, itâs cute how excited he got. I didnât say he was cute,â you mumbled, knowing you were doing a poor job of defending yourself.
âThatâs exactly what you said, though. You said, and I quote, Heâs so cute.â You glared at Sunghoon. Who knew he would only become talkative once it came to teasing you about Jake?Â
His expression softened slightly when he realized you might actually be upset about this, and he turned his attention back towards the field, smile growing when he found his friend. âDonât worry, I wonât say anything.â
âThereâs nothing to be said anyway.â
âOh? So you donât mind if I tell Jake that you have the biggest, fattest crush on- hmph!â
Youâd cut Sunghoon off by pressing your palm to his mouth, mustering the most menacing look you could to scare him off. âI do not,â you said firmly as you moved your hand away from him.
âSure, you donât,â he replied, chuckling. Clearly, your most menacing look wasnât so menacing.
âI get why Jakeâs so annoying now, itâs because heâs friends with you.â
Sunghoon raised an amused eyebrow at this. âHe might be annoying, but heâs also cute, right?â
âShut up!â you shrieked immediately, but you couldnât stop the grin forcing its way onto your lips.
âJust saying,â Sunghoon said, and you laughed together. Maybe you shouldâve been more worried about Jakeâs literal best friend finding out you had a crush on him, but you somehow trusted Sunghoon not to blabber about it. Whether because he was nice or because he wanted to watch you struggle with your feelings, you werenât sure, but at least you felt your secret was safe with him.
You looked back at the field, and just as your eyes found Jake, you saw him turn his head away. Had you seen him just seconds prior, you might have noticed the crease in his eyebrows as he watched you and Sunghoon laugh together. Sunghoon isnât that funny, he thought, what could you be laughing so hard about?
He didnât understand the sudden weight in his heart at the sight of you and his friend getting along so well. This was his whole plan after all - force some proximity between you and Sunghoon so that you could talk and hopefully make your feelings clear to each other after some time. Clearly, it was working. So why was it bothering him so much?Â
He had to turn his attention back to the game, so he could only ruminate over it for five seconds, but for the remaining thirty minutes, he could barely focus on anything. Whenever he glanced back at you and Sunghoon, you were both looking at him and not talking to each other, and that somehow bothered him even more.Â
He used his time in the lockers to get out of the weird mood he was in - whatever was going on between you and Sunghoon, he didnât want to ruin it by being grumpy. So when he came back out and found the two of you waiting for him at the bus stop, he put on his best smile.Â
Having you around made his usual Tuesday afternoon with Sunghoon more fun - after years of friendship, Sunghoon ignored most of his jokes and could tune the sound of his voice out, but you still laughed at everything he said, and his heart swelled with pride every time he made you laugh.
It was only a ten-minute bus ride from the school to the ice rink so you still had twenty minutes to spare before Sunghoonâs lesson started. As always after soccer practice, Jake was famished, so you stopped by a convenience store and got more snacks than you really needed.
You sat next to Sunghoon and across from Jake at a picnic table in front of the ice rink, watching the boy in front of you with fascination as he gorged himself on banana milk and chocolate snacks.
âGod, how long has it been since you last ate?â you asked with genuine concern in your voice. Sunghoon followed your gaze towards Jake, only then noticing his friendâs feral behavior as if this was a normal occurrence for them.
âLike three hours,â Jake answered. âIâm starving. So hungry I could eat Sunghoon.â
When he looked up, you were both peering at him with furrowed eyebrows and bewildered expressions on your faces. âWhat? Why are you looking at me like that?â
âDo you mean that Sunghoon is a horse?â you asked.
Jake mirrored your confused expressions. âWhat? No, why would I say that?â
âThe saying goes, so hungry I could eat a horse, dumbass,â Sunghoon chimed in.
âWhy would I eat a horse?â Jake replied, shaking his head and chuckling at you and Sunghoon like you were the ones who had gotten a basic idiom wrong.
âWhy would you eat me?â Sunghoon bit back, sounding almost offended.
âItâs just a saying, dude.â
Half-an-hour and two whole packets of biscuits later, you and Jake sat side-by-side on the benches, watching Sunghoon as he did his warm-ups on the ice. This was your first time seeing a professional ice skater and you were transfixed, to say the least. He was just skating across the rink and rolling his arms and neck to get the muscles moving, but it all seemed so effortless and elegant that you couldnât help but watch with your mouth slightly open, eyes eager to keep up with Sunghoonâs figure.
You were so mesmerized that you had no idea Jake was practically burning holes into the side of your face. Eyes narrowed and nose scrunched in disgust, he couldnât believe you were enjoying the show in front of you that much. âHeâs not even doing anything special right now, you know,â he said, but it only made him realize that when Sunghoon did start doing cool stuff, youâd like it even more.
Your head barely budged in Jakeâs direction as you answered him, and your eyes certainly didnât leave Sunghoon. âReally? It already looks so cool, though.â Jake scoffed, but that still didnât get your attention, which made him scoff again. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned like a child whose parent wasnât paying attention to their drawing.Â
âCooler than me?â
Finally, you look at me, Jake thought, and his frown immediately dissipated into a grin when your eyes met. But judging by the teasing way your lips curled up, he already knew he wasnât going to like your answer.
âCooler than you,â you replied before turning your attention back to the rink.
Jake leans back with a pout, opting to glare at his friend instead of you. He tried to put himself in your shoes and figure out what it was about Sunghoon you liked so much that Jake didnât also have. Devastatingly good looks? Check. Charming smile? Check. Cute dog? Check - Jake more so than Sunghoon. Brains? Okay, both of them lacked this. Good personality? Check - however, you needed months before Sunghoon revealed himself to you, whereas Jake was outgoing and was comfortable even with people heâd just met.Â
So why was the bearer of your affection Sunghoon and not Jake?
And why did Jake even care that you liked his friend over him in the first place?
It wasnât like Jake liked you - he couldnât like a girl that his best friend liked - so why did this at all matter to him? If anything, the fact that you liked Sunghoon back shouldâve been something to rejoice over. It had been, up until now, and Jake couldnât figure out why. He couldnât figure out this weird sensation that had plagued him in the soccer field and followed him to the ice rink as he watched you watch Sunghoon with amazement.
Jake was so lost in his own thoughts that he didnât even notice when you detached your eyes from Sunghoon, who was talking to his coach, and tilted your head at him. âJake?âÂ
The boy only let out a low hum, still too upset to look at you.
An amused grin made your lips quirk up. âAre you pouting because I said Sunghoon was cooler than you?â
Jake scoffed, turning his head away from you. âNo.â
A pause. âSo you donât mind if I go on and on about how elegant and beautiful ice skating is, while running after a ball and kicking it is the basis of the stupidest sport in the world?â
Jake glared at you, but it only made you smile more. âItâs not stupid.â
Despite himself, his pretend angry facade broke apart at the sound of your airy giggles. Jake didnât think his ears had ever been graced with such a pretty sound before - he slapped himself mentally as soon as that thought crossed his mind.Â
His heart did jumps and spins more impressive than Sunghoonâs when you reached a hand out to ruffle his hair, shaking your head at his behavior. For once, he was glad that you turned back to Sunghoon so that you wouldnât see the bright blush spreading all over his face.
For the next hour, Jake put his weird feelings to the side and watched his friend practice his routine for his upcoming competition. Even he had to admit that Sunghoon looked pretty cool doing what he loved.
You told him you found it all the more impressive because youâd never skated before, so it looked unachievable to you, and an idea immediately formed in Jakeâs mind. As soon as Sunghoonâs practice was over, he rushed over to his friend and asked if the two of you could join him on the ice. Sunghoon turned to his coach, who simply shrugged.
âI trust you to look after them,â she said. âJust make sure to be out when the hockey team gets here.â
Before you knew it, Jake was helping you tie up your ice skates (the sight of which made you faint-hearted) and both boys helped you onto the ice rink, each holding onto one of your hands as you tried not to freak out at the feeling of your knees being so wobbly. Sunghoon demonstrated how to move around the ice, and soon enough, youâd gotten the hang of it - but you still made sure to keep Jake at an armâs length so you could grab onto him every time you lost your balance. Jake stayed by your side, smiling fondly at how excited you looked and cheering you on every time you took a step of your own. Sunghoon, on the other hand, seemed to find it funny to watch from afar and point and laugh every time you stumbled.
After some time, Sunghoon announced he was feeling hungry and decided to go eat some snacks, leaving you and Jake alone in the rink. The wink Sunghoon threw your way when Jake wasnât looking let you know what his true intentions were, and you couldnât believe Jakeâs best friend had just become your wingman.
âFeeling ready to skate around the rink?â Jake asked. His boyish grin was contagious, and you found yourself matching it even though you were still nervous about moving around too much.
âIf you help me,â you answered tentatively, looking at him worriedly as you held out your hand for him to take. The softness of his gaze as he smiled down at you made you want to melt into a puddle on the floor.
âOf course,â he said, taking your hand in his warm one. Your fingers intertwined as if out of second nature and you thought you finally understood why people said their hands were meant to hold someone elseâs.
Being friends with an ice skater for such a long time meant Jake had acquired some skill, too, which is why he could so easily show you how to turn or pick up speed. Whenever you lost your balance, he was always quick enough to make sure you didnât actually fall, picking you up before your backside could touch the ice. He found your frightened expression every time you thought you would fall absolutely adorable, but your pout and slight frown whenever he teased you were somehow even cuter.
He only let go of your hand after some ten minutes (neither of you had even begun to question Sunghoonâs whereabouts by then) when he came to stand in front of you, a serious expression on his face.
âI think youâre ready, Y/N,â he declared solemnly.
âReady forâŚ?â you asked, scared of whatever he had in mind.
He leaned in slightly and the sudden proximity took you aback, but he didnât seem to realize. A mischievous smirk broke through his handsome features. âA race,â he whispered, then skated to one edge of the rink and motioned for you to follow him. Reluctantly, you did.
âFirst to the other edge has toâŚâ he thought for a second, gazing at the ceiling. You wanted to be mad at him for proposing a race when youâd literally just learned how to skate, but how could you when he looked so cute and giddy, searching for the loserâs penalty? âBuy the other ice cream!â
Your eyes were probably the image of tenderness as you looked at him. âDeal,â you said, wanting to sound as playful as him but voice coming out soft. Since when had you fallen so hard for him?
You held each otherâs gazes for a couple more seconds before both turning in front of you, getting ready for your race. Jake counted down from three, and your skating wasnât so bad at first - until you got too cocky for your own good, trying to go at a pace you clearly couldnât handle. Before you knew it, your knees betrayed you and you found yourself tripping over, your butt making a loud thump sound as it came into contact with the ice.
On your way down, youâd shrieked Jakeâs name, and he was at your side in the blink of an eye, holding your shoulder and looking at you worriedly. The pain was immediate, and for a few seconds, you couldnât answer him and reassure him that you were fine.
âOh God, Iâm so sorry, I shouldnât have asked to race, God Y/N Iâm so stupid Iâm so sorry are you okay I didnât want you to get hurt-â
âJake,â you squeaked.
âYeah?â
âIâm okay, calm down,â you said when the pain subsided, managing a smile. âIâll just have a sore butt tomorrow.â He chuckled at the word âbutt,â but you didnât have it in you to roll his eyes at his childishness.
âAre you sure youâre okay? Thereâs an infirmary here-â
âIâm sure, Jakey-poo,â you teased, making him lose the concerned expression as he bore an unimpressed one instead.
âI guess you are fine if you can think to call me that. Come on, up!â he said as he stood up, reaching his hands out for you to take. Just as he helped you up, Sunghoon came sprinting and stood at the entrance to the rink.
âIs everything okay? I heard a yell,â he said, slightly out-of-breath with half a biscuit in his mouth. Guess he really was eating this whole time.
You and Jake laughed and shook your head at him, and you reassured him that everything was fine.Â
âGood, âcause the hockey teamâs here and we have to go anyway.â
There was a bus that took Sunghoon directly from the ice rink to his house, but you and Jake had to go back to the school to catch the one you usually took, which meant you had a forty-minute journey in front of you. And yet, Jakeâs company made those forty minutes feel like five, and you found yourself disappointed when the bus neared your stop.
âIf you want, we can still go walk Kiwi and Layla,â he offered shyly a few minutes before your stop, as if heâd read your mind.Â
âIâd love to.â You watched as his small smile bloomed into a wider one.
âIâm glad,â he chuckled, relieved. âI was scared youâd be tired of me after spending the whole afternoon together,â he admitted, looking down at his lap with a bashful expression on his face. It wasnât often that Jake looked timid like this, but whenever he did, your heart tripled in size.
âI donât think I could get tired of you.â You were too shy to look him in the eye while you said this, but in your peripheral, you saw his grin get impossibly wider and his eyebrows raise. He bumped your shoulder with his, making the both of you burst into giggles.
You were still smiling long after youâd come home from your walk.
â
Unfortunately for Jake, forcing you and Sunghoon to sit together for ninety minutes hadnât resulted in the two of you confessing your undying love for the other and getting together - clearly, his plan hadnât worked very well. But Jake, instead of coming up with another strategy, decided he should just basically do the same thing again and hope it went better this time.Â
Bro night had been a tradition for the past three years that the boys only very rarely broke, in cases of illness, filial obligations or important competitions the following day. This wasnât any one of those cases, but Jake decided bro night must be slightly sacrificed that night - for your and Sunghoonâs sake. Years down the line, he knew youâd thank him.
This was why he tricked you into thinking you had been invited to bro night (youâd heard a lot about it and considered it an honor to be included) when really, he made Jay promise not to show at the cinema so that you and Sunghoon could be alone. The two of them would make up an excuse about not being able to make it on time and show up later at the diner (âIf you want to set them up, shouldnât we also leave them alone after the movie?â Jay had asked Jake over the phone, and Jake had been unable to explain why he didnât want you to spend the whole night alone with Sunghoon).
âThey ditched us,â Sunghoon had said in lieu of a greeting when you found him at the entrance of the cinema. He turned his phone screen towards you, showing you their group chat - Jay had had some sort of meeting at his school that had run late and Jake had to go to the vet suddenly because Layla kept making weird noises.
âOh no, I hope sheâll be okay,â you said, voice laced with genuine worry.
Sunghoon just sighed. âIâm sure she will.â He knew what his friends were up to - it almost never happened that one of them was unable to make it to bro night, so two at once? They were clearly lying. He would make sure to tell Jake how worried sick you were about his dogâs fake illness later on just so his friend would feel extra guilty.
You had been looking forward to hanging out with Jake and his friends all day, so you were disappointed to know he wouldnât make it until later. It wasnât much comfort that the movie they had picked, some recent Marvel release, was one you were not at all interested in, and you couldnât even obsess over Jakeâs presence next to you instead of the movie because he wasnât there. Youâd have to sit with awkward, quiet Sunghoon for God knows how long - at least the cinema wasnât much of a talking place.Â
You declined his kind offer of sharing a big popcorn tub - you didnât want to risk a clichĂŠ reaching-for-popcorn-at-the-same-time moment with Sunghoon, although youâd daydreamed and giggled about it happening with Jake earlier that day. Instead, you sipped grumpily on your Cherry Coke, watching the trailers for upcoming movies and discussing them with Sunghoon. (âIâm so excited for the Barbie movie,â heâd surprised you by saying. Maybe he wasnât so bad.)
As the lights dimmed, announcing the imminent start of the movie, Sunghoon whispered something that completely changed your mind about Marvel. âItâs so stupid that Jake isnât here, seriously. Heâs been going on and on about going to see this movie since the trailer came out.â Suddenly, youâd never felt the need to pay attention to something more than this.Â
Well, in your humble opinion, the film wasnât anything to write home about. It was a lot of loud action scenes with some funny one-liners that, okay, you chuckled at. And the actors were hot. You could sort of see why Jake would enjoy Marvel movies, although you yourself liked films with more social commentary, such as Mean Girls or Bee Movie. Youâd need to make Jake watch Twilight one of these days - you were sure heâd like the soundtrack, if nothing else.
At least, you and Sunghoon have something to talk about during your short walk to the diner. As you enter the restaurant, a familiar voice calling out your name catches you off-guard.
âChaewon? I thought you didnât work on Friday nights!â you exclaimed, letting your friend bring you into a hug. You gave her a once-over - she always looked so pretty in her work uniform, white t-shirt dress draping her body perfectly, apron cinching at her waist, and short pigtails under her 50âs style diner hat. If the blush spreading on Sunghoonâs cheeks at her sudden appearance was anything to go by, his thoughts might not have been too far from yours.
She pouted, taking your hands in hers and swaying them between the two of you. âI usually donât, but Yunjin asked me to trade shifts and she always says yes when I ask her, so I felt bad saying no.â You nodded and she turned to Sunghoon.
âHi, Sunghoon!â
âH-hi, Chaewon.â
âWhereâs Jay and Jake?â she asked, looking behind the two of you. Youâd told the group chat about your evening plans and a lot of freaking out had taken place.Â
âShould be here any minute,â you sighed, and when she looked at you questioningly, you told her youâd explain later.
She sat you at a four-person booth by the window and brought you drinks (âOn the house,â sheâd said with a wink, but you werenât sure this had been allowed by any of her superiors) for you to sip on while you waited for the others. Every time she was free, she came over to your table and gossiped about the customers. You did not miss the way Sunghoonâs face lit up whenever she approached you.
Jake and Jay see you before you see them. Jay, the only one with a driverâs license out of the three, had picked Jake up, and he was parking his car when Jake gasped loudly, making Jay jump. âIâm trying to park, man, can you be calm?â
âWhatâs she doing here?â Jake exclaimed, completely ignoring his friend.
Jay followed Jakeâs gaze, but he wasnât sure what his friend was going on about. All he saw was you, whom he recognized from pictures only, Sunghoon, and a waitress that seemed overly-friendly. âWho?â he asked.
âChaewon,â Jake hissed, like her name was a curse. âSheâs ruining our plan!â
Jay sighed. âFirst of all, this is your plan. Second of all, it was ruined from the beginning. And by that, I mean that your plan sucks, Jake.â
Jake clicked his teeth. âWhatever. Letâs just go,â he said, getting out of the car and heading straight for you. He made sure to give Chaewon a pointed look as he sat next to you in the booth, but she just seemed happy that more people had arrived.Â
You bumped your knee into his to get his attention. âHi,â you said with a smile.
He looked at you dumbly for a few seconds before Jay cleared his throat awkwardly. âHi. This is Jay,â he said, tilting his head towards the boy but not taking his eyes off of you. You and Jay exchanged heyâs before Chaewon took your order, quickly giving it to the kitchen and scanning the room to make sure every table had what they needed, then headed back to your table.Â
âIs Layla okay?â you asked Jake, worry making your brows furrow.
âHuh?â The sudden mention of his dog took him aback. Why wouldnât she be okay?
âLayla?â you repeated, tilting your head. âIs she okay? You said you had to go to the vet.â
His eyes widened as he remembered his lie from earlier, and he started nodding frantically. âOh yeah, yeah, sheâs fine, we panicked over nothing,â he said with a nervous giggle. Jake was the worst liar Jay and Sunghoon had ever seen, but you were none the wiser.
âWhat about you, Jay? How was your school thing?â Sunghoon asked, turning to his friend with a glare and making him choke on his Coke.
âOh, that was fine too, I guess,â Jay mumbled.
As expected, Jake and Chaewon were experts at leading the conversation, and Jay himself was pretty talkative. They all bounced off of each other naturally, and even Sunghoon knew how to throw in witty remarks now and there. You also participated, but you were more than happy just listening to them and laughing along. You tried not to think too much about how your knee would bump into Jakeâs once in a while, or how he seemed to look at you every time he made a joke.
At some point, Chaewon had rushed over to your table, looking right at you with wide eyes and beaming. âOh my God Oh my God Oh my God, Y/N, hat guy is here!âÂ
You instantly mirrored her expression. âWhere where where?â you asked, lifting your body up to scan around the restaurant.
âOver there in the corner, but be discreet!â
You were not at all discreet as your eyes found said hat guy, noting with satisfaction that he was characteristically hatless, and you burst into laughter. âI canât believe heâs here!â
âRight? Probably has the munchies or something,â Chaewon said, laughing along.
You only noticed then the perplexed looks all three boys were sending your way. âWho the heck is hat guy?â Jake asked, which only made you and Chaewon laugh harder.
âYou wouldnât get it,â she replied airily, waving Jake off as she made her way to a customer who had called for her.Â
The boys turned to you and you shrunk in your seat at their attention. âJust a guy the girls and I find funny,â you explained, shrugging and glancing quickly at Sunghoon. If only he knew about all the times you and the girls had gossiped about him, even though heâd done nothing of importance.
When her shift was over, the first thing Chaewon did was take off her apron, then dragged you to the bathroom, where she drilled you for details about your cinema âdateâ with Sunghoon.Â
âIt was not a date, it just ended up being the two of us because the others couldnât make it,â you insisted, but she wasnât having it. âThereâs nothing to say anyway. We got there, talked a bit, watched the movie, walked here, and thatâs it.â
Chaewon sighed, shaking her head as she reapplied her lip gloss. A small smile made its way onto your lips. âI think heâs into someone else anyway.âÂ
You noticed how her hand faltered for a split second. âOh yeah? Who?â she asked, trying to appear nonchalant, but you knew your friend too well.Â
âIâm sure youâll figure it out.âÂ
Unbeknownst to either of you, the discussion between the boys back at the table was not too different from yours.
âBro, Iâm literally going to kill you,â Sunghoon whisper-yelled even though you were way out of earshot already. âDo you know how awkward that was?â
âJust so you know, I had nothing to do with this,â Jay said. âI told him that putting two socially constipated idiots like you wouldnât end well, but he wouldnât listen.â
âY/Nâs not an idiot!â Jake immediately reacted.
âAnd I am?!â Sunghoon retorted.
Jay just rolled his eyes.
âYou are, because this is the second time youâre alone together with the girl you like and you can barely make conversation with her.â
âFor the last time, I donât like her, I just called her cute once in freshman year-â
âSame thing!â
âJake, I donât know how many times I can tell you the same thing before you get it. Iâve been around Y/N enough to know I donât like her like that, okay? Weâve had two classes where we sat together for a whole semester, and weâve worked with other people in group projects. Not to mention, youâve made me sit through one of your practices with her. Sheâs nice. She sends me the homework when I miss class. She even laughs at my jokes sometimes. And her dog is super cute. Iâm sure weâd be better friends if we both didnât have crippling shyness, but I donât like her like that. I just donât.â
âBut how?!â
âWhat do you mean how? This sorta thing doesnât have any sort of reasonable answer, you just do or you donât. I donât. Clearly, you do.â
Jake heard the last part of Sunghoonâs words, and promptly decided to ignore them. He had to understand this first - heâd figure out his feelings later. âThis whole time, I thought you were just downplaying your feelings, âcause youâre an awkward asshole who doesnât do emotions,â he said, eyes tightly shut and holding his head, the confusion making his brain hurt.
âOkay, ouch. But no, I wasnât. I really donât know what got into your head.â
âI know what got into his head,â Jay said. Both of his friends looked at him questioningly, so he went on. âWhen Sunghoon mentioned Y/N, you probably thought she was super cute too, Jake. But because of bro code and whatnot, you didnât wanna show any interest. And then as you saw her around more, you probably liked her more, but you thought Sunghoon liked her, so you sort of gave him your crush on her instead of dealing with it. You lived vicariously through him, basically. Except youâre an idiot because he doesnât even like her like that, so you couldâve shot your shot a long time ago already. I donât know why you didnât just listen to him, to be honest,â Jay finished, shrugging.
âYou also thought he liked her!â Jake retorted.
âThatâs besides the point. The point is that youâre stupid.â
âBut- but, what about all those times you talked about her? I didnât make those up!âÂ
Sunghoon rolled his eyes. âThe most I ever said about her was something like, Y/N and I both forgot our textbook today, or Y/N brought cookies for the class because itâs her birthday. You were always the one to notice her everywhere and go, Thereâs your crush, or something.â
Jake sighed, defeated. He could admit Sunghoon was right about something, and he was wrong - but he hated that Jay was also right. Had he really managed to bury his feelings for you all these years just for what he thought was Sunghoonâs sake? Sure, he was a loyal friend, but that felt a little much.
âWhatever,â he mumbled, recoiling from his friendsâ expectant gazes and taking a sad bite of his cheeseburger. âItâs not like she likes me back, or anything.âÂ
He watched in confusion as Sunghoon let out a loud groan, screwing his eyes shut and taking his head in his hands as if it hurt. âThis is so frustrating, Iâm going to kill myself.â
Jake turned to Jay for some sort of explanation to their friendâs sudden suicidal thoughts, but Jay just looked back at Jake with disgust. âWhen did you become so dumb? I swear you didnât use to be like this,â he said, shaking his head in disappointment.
Jakeâs eyes flickered between his two friends in utter dismay. âWhat?â
âJake,â Jay started. âDo you really, honestly, genuinely think Y/N doesnât like you?â
The boy leaned back in his seat with a pout. âYeah,â he mumbled.
Sunghoonâs head whipped up at this. Jake gulped at the intense glare his friend fixed him with - heâd never looked so angry with him, and it made Jake wonder what on Earth he could have said or done that made Sunghoon so upset. âWhy?â he asked simply, but the frustration was evident in his voice.
Your diary popped up in Jakeâs head. What he had read was clear. Of course, the entry dated from over a month ago now, but why would your feelings have changed since then? Jake sighs deeply, getting ready to reveal to his friends what heâd seen, but then he sees you and Chaewon emerging from the bathroom. âTheyâre coming back,â he mumbled.
It was Sunghoon and Jayâs turn to sigh. âJust pay attention to her, Jake, okay?â Jay instructed, giving his friend an intent look.
âI already do,â Jake replied, frowning.
âNo, really pay attention to her. Then use your pea-sized brain for once in your life, and maybe youâll realize something.â
A strongly-worded reply was on the tip of Jakeâs tongue, but all thoughts of violence and murdering his friend were replaced by images of rainbows and pretty flowers when you smiled at him. He felt like the biggest of idiots for liking you so much and only realizing it now.
âHi,â he said dumbly as you found your seat next to him again, then stole a french fry from you even though he had many left himself. When you gasped at his audacity, he just giggled.
âHey!â you exclaimed in protest before stealing a fry back.Â
If you hadnât been so caught up in your little world, youâd have noticed the knowing look your three friends exchanged and their simultaneous eye roll.Â
â
The following Monday, you decided to have your tutoring session at your house instead of Jakeâs. His mom was away at a convention for the week, so youâd have to take the bus anyway - since your house was two stops earlier, you offered to switch it up for once. Jake had never actually been inside your house and was curious to see what it was like, so he eagerly agreed.Â
Kiwi was happy to see him and followed the two of you around the house as you gave Jake a quick tour before going up to your room. When you reached the top landing, you realized that Kiwi was still at the bottom of the stairs and was looking up at you expectantly. âIs she not allowed upstairs?â Jake asked.
âUsually not, but I let her come up when my momâs not here. Come on Kiwi! Itâs okay!â
Kiwi didnât need to be told twice - she trudged her little body up the stairs, and you couldnât help but giggle at her adorableness. âSheâs so cute,â you cooed, looking at your dog with a huge smile on your face.
âShe really is,â Jake agreed, but when you turned your head to face him, he wasnât looking at Kiwi - he was looking straight at you, a softness in his eyes that made your stomach turn. He snapped out of it when he noticed your round, surprised eyes, and cleared his throat. âSo, whereâs your room?â he asked, looking around the hallway and avoiding your gaze.
âOver there,â you replied, fighting the smile that tried to make its way to your lips as you headed towards your room, Jake and Kiwi following right behind.Â
You told Jake to wait for a second as you went to get a second chair. When you came back, he was standing in front of your shelves, upper body slightly bent forwards to observe all the decorations and framed pictures closer. You placed the chair next to your desk then joined him, answering all the questions he had about the items on your shelves. Whoâs this? When was this? Where did you get this? In his defense, you really did have a lot of things - you were trying to get rid of your hoarding habits, but you got attached to every small thing that held some sort of significance. You went to sit at the edge of your bed and just watched him, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
It reminded you of the first time youâd been to his house, how upset heâd seemed when you talked about his baby pictures and how you hadnât wanted to risk looking at all the stuff in his room. You were also curious about things like that, and you wondered once again what had bothered him so much. The question was burning your tongue - although you were nervous to ask it, not wanting to upset Jake once more, you now knew him well enough to know he wasnât the type to stay mad for long.Â
âCan I ask you something?â
âSure,â Jake replied, fingers toying with your favorite Littlest Pet Shop figurine you had kept from when you were eight.
âWhy didnât you want me to look at your baby photos that one time?â
Jake paused at your words. He stood up straight and set the figurine back on the shelf. He glanced at you before walking over to your bed and taking a seat next to you, leaning back on his palms while you rested your hands underneath your thighs.Â
âYou probably noticed I donât mention my dad, right? Or the fact that heâs never home?âÂ
You nodded in response. You had noticed it, but youâd never brought the topic up in case it might be sensitive. Jake sighed. âHe passed away when I was six.â
You turned your head towards him. To your surprise, his face remained expressionless - you couldnât detect any sort of sadness or anger in his features, as if he was just reciting a fact. His uncharacteristic numbness upset you even more than any tears could have.Â
He met your gaze and gave you a small smile. âI was so young that I only have very vague memories of him, like playing soccer together in the backyard or a trip to the beach with my parents and my brother. I only remember his face and his voice from the photos and videos my mom has shown me.â He sighed again, shifting forwards and resting his hands in his lap, fiddling with his fingers. âSo when I see these pictures, they sort of just remind me of what Iâve lost? I really donât like lingering on them. I sort of just ignore them every time I walk up or down the stairs.â
âIâm sorry, I wouldnât have mentioned them if Iâd known-â
Jake is quick to shake his head. âNo, no, donât be sorry. You couldnât have guessed.â You want to comfort Jake in some way, thank him for telling you something so personal, but youâre not sure what words to use - so, instead, you take one of his hands in yours and bring it to your lap, then cover it with your other one. Your eyes meet for a second - he looks slightly taken aback at first, but then, his eyes drift down to your joined hands, and a small blush spreads on his cheeks.
âIâm- Iâm okay, really. Like I said, it happened so long ago that Iâm used to not having a dad now. It almost feels like itâs always been that way, which makes it even weirder to think it wasnât. Itâs just⌠It feels weird to miss someone I barely remember so much, you know?â
You nodded and let out a low hum. âI do know.â Jake tilted his head at you, silently asking you to go on. âItâs different, but I get that feeling of missing something you barely remember. I have these blurry memories of my parents being happy together and the three of us being a happy family, and then all of a sudden itâs hearing arguments from my room and my dad moving out, and theyâre asking me, Do you wanna live with mom or dad?â
You watched as Jake moved his hand slightly, intertwining your fingers together and squeezing your hand. âI was older than you were when they divorced, so I guess I have more memories to hold onto, but they hurt more than anything.â You let out a deep sigh. âMy dad cheated, so itâs not like I wished my mom had stayed with him, but I was too young to understand what was happening. I just wanted my parents together again.âÂ
When you lifted your head to look at him, he met your gaze, and his eyes were so soft yet so intense, like he was seeing right into you. Then he chuckled. âDo you ever get jealous of other peopleâs parents?â he asks, a shy smile playing on his lips.
âAll the time,â you admitted with a chuckle, relieved to find out you werenât the only one. âYena has been blessed with these like, practically perfect parents that are still in love after twenty years, never argue and have a healthy relationship with all of their kids. Iâm so in awe every time I see them.â
âSunghoonâs parents are like that. I feel terrible, but every time they come to cheer him on at his competitions, I just get so jealous, wishing I also had three people coming to see my games and not just two. And I always feel so silly for feeling that way.â
âYouâre not silly for that, Jake,â you said, and the honesty in your voice seemed to take him aback slightly. A grin spread on your lips. âYou may be silly for other things, but not for that,â you teased, making him chuckle. âI can be your third person, if you want,â you said softly, lightly bumping your shoulder against his.
His eyes seemed to light up at your words, and your smile couldnât help but get wider at his reaction - that was, until he raised an eyebrow, almost defiantly. âYeah? I thought you found soccer boring,â he said with a playful smirk.
âItâs not boring if youâre the one playing,â you replied. A small noise of surprise escaped his throat before he could help it, not expecting you to be so forward, and you both burst into giggles.Â
He cleared his throat when you both calmed down and stood up straighter, trying to put on a cool front. âOf course it isnât.â He turned his head to look out the window, and the sight of the sunlight perfectly hitting his features and turning his dark brown eyes a hazel color almost took your breath away. âItâs really nice out,â he suddenly said. He turned back to you, a mischievous glint in his eyes. âHow about we ditch the tutoring for today and go out?â
His eyes drifted down to your lips, watching as a smile tugged at the corners of your own. âIâm in.â
That was how you found yourselves sitting at a bench in the park close to your house, eating ice cream and watching Kiwi and Layla play together. You tried each otherâs ice cream, and you regretted your choice of simple vanilla and strawberry as soon as Jakeâs mango ice cream touched your tongue. Your eyes widened at the amazing taste - it felt like you had bit into an actual mango.Â
âGood, right?â Jake asked, chuckling at your reaction.
âWhat the heck, yours is so much better than mine,â you mumbled, pouting at the ice cream in your cup like it had personally hurt you.
Jake thought for a second, looking back and forth between your upset expression and his own cup. âWanna switch?â
Your heart was screaming yes, but your brain was screaming no. You tried your best to appear genuine when you smiled at him. âNo, donât worry about it. I still like mine.â You looked at him as you scooped another spoonful into your mouth as if to prove to him you were happy with your choice, even going so far as to hum in delight.
Jake just chuckled and shook his head at you, taking your cup and giving you his anyway. You were about to protest until he started eating your ice cream, imitating your previous hum. You quietly accepted the exchange, smiling as you tasted the mango ice cream again and trying to ignore the fact that Jake hadnât switched the spoons with the cups, so you were using his and he was using yours.Â
As you ate in silence, occasionally chuckling at your dogsâ antics, Jake stole some glances at you. He wasnât sure why you looked so much prettier today than all the times heâd seen you before. Or maybe you were just as pretty as youâd always been, and he was just finally letting himself admit it.Â
He may have had many friends, but there werenât many people Jake was truly himself around. He always felt the need to be this friendly, outgoing guy that made it seem like everything was going well in his life, but with you, he felt like it was okay to stop pretending. He felt like it was okay to ask for help, like it was okay to reveal the darker parts of his life.
Now that Jay and Sunghoon had practically forced him to see the truth, Jake didnât know what to do about his feelings for you. He finally understood why he always looked forward to your tutoring sessions, why he was so excited whenever he walked past you in the hallways, and why he was so bothered about you and Sunghoon getting along.
Sunghoon. Because even if Jake now knew that he liked you, he also knew that you liked someone else. And what was the point of letting himself fall for you even more when there was no happy ending in sight for him? Heâd only get hurt in the end.
Just as the thought hit him, you turned to look at him and meet his gaze, a soft smile on your lips. Every time you smiled at him like that, Jake felt like he was watching a movie. Everything happened in slow-motion, with flowers falling around you and violins playing in the background. Jake almost felt sick, knowing he was only the second lead in your romance movie. He was the stupid werewolf and Sunghoon was the vampire that glistened in the sun and got the girl. (You had convinced him to watch Twilight, saying it was a mandatory watch to understand who you were as a person. Of course, Jake had streamed it that same night. The soundtrack was surprisingly good.)
Your voice snapped him out of his downward-spiraling thoughts. âYou know, I almost got scared that Sunghoon would appear out of thin air and start hanging out with us.â
Jake tried not to sneer at the mention of his best-friend-turned-number-one-nemesis. âWhy? Wouldnât you like that?â he mumbled, clearly doing a poor job of seeming unaffected.
You frowned, then lowered your head, focusing your gaze on your almost-finished ice cream. âNo, Iâd rather if it was just the two of us.â Jakeâs eyes widened, unsure if heâd heard that correctly or not. But before he could say anything in response, you spoke again. âItâs just, he was there when I came to watch your practice and when I thought we were all going to see a movie together, it was just him and me. You wouldâve liked that movie, by the way,â you said, looking up at Jake with a smile.
Jakeâs heart swelled. He wasnât sure what what you were saying all meant, but unconsciously, his lips mirrored yours and he smiled back at you. Until he remembered you didnât like him, and his smile fell immediately. Obviously, you had no idea what he was thinking, so his sudden stony expression sent alarms ringing through your head.
âItâs not that I donât like him, or anything,â you said, panicked, and Jake had to keep himself from scoffing, âitâs just that- you know. Itâs nice to hang out with you outside of tutoring sessions,â you finished, mumbling.Â
Jake had no idea what you were saying, so he stayed quiet, watching as Kiwi and Layla ran around in circles. You liked Sunghoon, so why would you rather hang out with Jake and not him? You werenât making any sense.Â
You, on the other hand, were not liking Jakeâs uncharacteristic silence. In hopes of getting his attention, you crossed one leg over the other, shifting on the bench to face him. âPlus, donât you think he and Chaewon really hit it off the other night? I think that was the most Iâve ever heard him talk,â you said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. To your dismay, it didnât work. You didnât know whether he was sulking or genuinely upset - all you knew was you desperately wanted to see a smile on his pretty face again.
âJakey?â you called out, and your voice sounded so small it hurt his heart. He hummed in response, only glancing at you for a fraction of a second. âIs everything okay?â
âYeah, why wouldnât it be?â he replied, scooping the last of the ice cream in his mouth. As he tasted the strawberry and vanilla flavors, he couldnât believe he had given his precious mango ice cream up all for a girl who didnât even like him back. What a fool.
âI donât know, youâre all- weird, all of a sudden, for lack of a better word.â You searched for some sort of an answer in his eyes, but he supplied you with none.Â
Jake sighed deeply. He could feel the ugly mix of emotions in his belly turning into anger - anger at what exactly, he wasnât sure, but he didnât want to lay it on you. âItâs just the heat, itâs making me tired,â he said. Sure, it was warm for a May afternoon, but it wasnât that hot. But you didnât want to push it.
âShould we go home?â you offered, and the worry in your voice made him feel even worse. He just couldnât understand why you were being so nice to him. He knew you probably just thought you were looking after a friend, but he'd rather you not care about his well-being and leave him be. He didnât need one more reason to like you - he already had plenty of those.Â
He nodded, mustering as convincing a smile as he could. âSure.âÂ
The walk home was much quieter than usual. You could feel that Jake was keeping something to himself, and it was killing you; but whatever it was, you wanted him to tell you when he felt ready and not feel forced to. Your hand was aching, desperate to reach out and grab his as you had done before, but you were afraid that would only push him away even further. So you stayed silent most of the time, only commenting on the things around you or speaking a thought out loud when you thought it might make Jake smile. Every time his lips curled up, even ever so slightly, your heart swelled with relief.
Unbeknownst to you, Jake was making up his mind. He knew he needed time away from you to gather his feelings before he could see you as a friend again.Â
When you reached your house, Jake waited outside with the dogs as you grabbed his bag heâd left upstairs. You hugged goodbye as always, but this one was different - it lasted a few seconds longer than usual, and you could swear Jake held you tighter than he normally would. It felt like he was saying goodbye for more than just a couple days.
You didnât understand why it made your heart ache so much.
â
The next day, when you walked past Jake and Sunghoon in the hallway, Jake barely glanced at you and only tilted his head in your general direction instead of his usual wide grin and wave. You were so shocked by his sudden snubbing that you halted in your steps right away, looking behind you at his retreating figure. You locked eyes with Sunghoon, who seemed just as confused as you felt. He shrugged at you before returning to his friend and nudging his arm.
On Wednesday morning, you got a text from Jake that he couldnât make it to your tutoring session that afternoon because of an extra soccer practice to prepare for their game that weekend, something he had never mentioned before.
Thursday and Friday werenât very different, and your heart became heavier with every time you walked past each other and he acted like you werenât even there. You desperately wanted to know what youâd done wrong, why heâd started to reply in one-word sentences instead of his usual voice messages and tons of emojis, but no matter how much you cogitated, you couldnât figure it out. Even when you asked him how his game had gone, a dry Good stared back at you from your phone screen.
That Saturday, your girlfriends came over. Yena had brought beads and strings to make accessories out of, and the mere sight of them had brought fond memories back to all four of you - during your first sleepover in freshman year, this was the exact activity that had kept you occupied for hours.Â
You got started on them immediately, each finding a comfortable spot in your room as soft music played in the background. You lay on your bed while Chaewon and Yena took over the floor and Hyewon sat at your desk.
âIâm gonna make one of those phone accessories,â Yena said excitedly, reaching for the biggest, most colorful beads.
âIâm gonna make couple bracelets for Jaemin and I,â Hyewon said somewhat shyly but beaming. Yena and Chaewon groaned at her words, but they gave you an idea.
âYou guys are vomit-inducing,â Yena replied, and if you didnât know your friend any better, just going off the tone of her voice, youâd have thought she was being serious. Hyewon just rolled her eyes, used to this daily slander she received simply for being in a relationship.
âIâll make something for my little sister,â Chaewon butted in, and you and Yena simultaneously âawwâed.Â
âSo itâs aww when Chaewon does it for her sister, and itâs vomit-inducing when I do it for my boyfriend?â Hyewon exclaimed, appalled.
âLittle sisters are cute. Boyfriends are gross,â Yena replied matter-of-factly, making you giggle.
âWhatever. You guys are just jealous that youâre dying alone and Iâm not. What are you making, Y/N?â she asked before Yena could retort again. The two exchanged a glare as you thought over your answer.
âIâm not saying,â you replied with a giggle.Â
âSheâs making one for Jake, that evil wench,â Chaewon immediately said, making your eyes widen. Yena gasped dramatically while Hyewon smiled at you.
âHow did you know?â you asked Chaewon.
âJust your face. Youâre so obvious,â she snickered.Â
âYouâre a traitor, Y/N!â Yena exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at you, and you hid your face in your hands, muttering an apology. âWasting time and energy on a boy.â
âDonât listen to her, Y/N. Whatever it is you make, heâll be super happy you thought of him. Then heâll finally ask you out and youâll live happily ever after, just like me and Jaemin,â Hyewon said with a serene smile on her face. Chaewon and Yena exchanged a look, then faked a gagging sound. âSo bitter,â Hyewon muttered, shaking her head at your friends.
âIâm not sure about that,â you sighed. âI just want to be friends again. Heâs been ignoring me all week.â
All three snapped their heads up at you. âHeâs been ignoring you?â Yena echoed, and you meekly nodded. âGive me his phone number. No, give me his address. Iâm going there right now,â she said, already sitting up.
âGosh, Yena, itâs fine,â you said, gesturing at her to sit back down, laughing at your friendâs seriousness. âIâll see him on Monday anyway, I can just see how he behaves then.â
Yena didnât look convinced, but she yielded anyway. âIf he hurts you, I swear Iâll give him a stern talking to. And a broken nose.â You laughed as you thanked your friend.Â
Hyewon asked for more details about this Jake situation, so you filled your friends in about his mysterious behavior that week. Chaewon had been the only one to see it firsthand, when youâd walked to a class together and Jake had walked past you without saying anything. You told them about his sparse answers to your texts, his lack of response to the TikToks you sent him. He wasnât even reacting to your BeReals anymore. It was just such a complete switch-up in attitude that you had no idea what to make of it. They tried to come up with reasons for it, but it really didnât make much sense. It just felt like he suddenly decided to hate you - or maybe you had been interpreting everything wrong, and the two of you had never been friends in the first place.Â
âThis is so confusing,â Chaewon suddenly said, seeming lost in thought. âI thought for sure that he liked you.â
âLiked⌠me?â you echoed.
âYeah. Just the way he was when we were at the diner. He kept looking at you and was always smiling and blushing whenever you talked to him. Also the way Jay and Sunghoon were behaving. Boys are so obvious when their friend likes someone, itâs like theyâre trying to fumble it for him. And I mean, anyone with functioning eyes can see that you like him too, so I donât know why heâs doing this all of a sudden.â
Yena sighed. âBoys are stupid.â
âThat, they are,â you agreed, sighing as well and returning your attention to your craft. Maybe a simple gift like this wouldnât fix what was going on between you and Jake, but you had to at least try. You couldnât let go of your friendship so easily.
Even though it seemed as though he could.
Nothing changed the next week. On Monday, you woke up to a text that pulled your heart down into your stomach.
jakey-poo i think we should stop tutoring each other for now
For an hour as you ate breakfast and got ready for school, you ruminated over your answer, only to ask him a simple why? in the end.
jakey-poo iâm to busy w soccer practice and other stuff we can start again when exams are near
you oh okay
You felt pathetic, but you had no idea what to say. You couldnât force him into this, and you definitely couldnât show up at his house and demand a better explanation. If you were Yena or Chaewon, maybe you could - but you werenât. You couldnât even bring yourself to ask him if the two of you could still hang out outside of that, so scared you were for his inevitable rejection.
During the week, you tried to find a time when you could give him your small handmade gift, but Jake wasnât even looking you in the eyes anymore. The only time you made eye contact with him over those five days was on Wednesday at lunch - as you walked into the cafeteria, you scanned the whole room, unconsciously searching for him. When you did, he was already looking at you - he was close enough for you to see the slight frown in his eyebrows, the lack of the usual glint in his eyes. But as soon as heâd seen youâd found him, he turned away. You only looked away when Chaewon called out your name.
In the few classes you had together, he always slipped away before you could get to him. Him walking past you like he couldnât even see you broke your heart a little bit more every time, and by Friday, you had completely given up. Your friendship with Jake was over, and you had no idea why, no idea who or what to blame.
Monday and Wednesday afternoons felt empty now that you had gotten used to spending them with him, and you couldnât even walk Kiwi without missing him. He seemed to miss Jake and Layla too - heâd sometimes tilt his head at you as if asking where your new friends were, and when you got to the park, heâd gloomily stick to you instead of running around like he usually would, especially when Layla was there.
The worst part was at night, when your thoughts kept you up. Youâd reread your and Jakeâs text conversations, wondering what went so wrong so quickly, warm tears spilling from your eyes out of sadness and tiredness. On those nights, youâd sneak Kiwi up to your room and let him cuddle up to you in your bed. Youâd comfort each other that way.
You had no idea that a couple kilometers away, Jake lay in bed sleepless as well, Layla at the edge of his bed and whining in her sleep. You had no idea that missing you had carved a deep hole in his chest.
â
Enough was enough.
It had been days since Layla had last seen Kiwi, and to a young pup like her, that felt like eternity. Lately, Jake hadnât seemed happy to go on walks with her like he used to, and he barely had any energy to play with her. She also hadnât seen you in days, and she wondered if that had anything to do with Jakeâs recent despondency.Â
But thankfully, Layla was a smart girl, so she knew exactly what to do to fix this dire situation. On Friday, she waited for Jake to come back from soccer practice and take her on a walk. As soon as they reached the sidewalk outside of their house, she pulled on her leash in the opposite direction of their usual route. Jake tried pulling her the other way, but she wouldnât budge.
âWeâre going that way, Layla,â Jake said, amused by his dogâs sudden stubbornness. Layla barked back. âCome on!âÂ
She was really not moving. âWe never go that way,â Jake said, sighing. âThat wayâs the-â
Thatâs when he realized. Layla wanted to go to the park you went to with Kiwi. âBut what if we ran into them?â Jake asked.Â
Layla barked again. She wanted to say, Thatâs exactly why I want to go there, but of course Jake didnât understand. He sighed again and obliged, letting Layla lead the way. She had a good feeling that sheâd finally see her friends again today.Â
Jakeâs heart started beating faster with every step he took, knowing that you might be out right now, too. When heâd seen you at school, youâd seemed as sad as he was, and he felt terrible for perhaps being the reason behind it - but he didnât know what else to do. He could either spare your feelings or his. If this was hurting you, he knew youâd move on quickly enough anyway - and when he came to terms with being just friends with you, heâd come back, and everything would be perfect like it used to be. Foolproof plan.
If there was one thing Jake had learned from the tutoring sessions with you, it was that the weather always reflected the protagonistâs inner thoughts. If they were upset, it would be gray and rainy - if they were happy, it would be warm and sunny. Jake glared at the sun, just another reminder that he wasnât the main character in this story. If he was, it would be thundering and lightning would be striking.
As if his life was a joke, two minutes after Jake and Layla had walked into the park, he saw you. At least you were facing the other direction, so you couldnât see him, and he could redirect his route to avoid you. But he let himself indulge in the moment for a few seconds. You had laid out a picnic blanket for you and Kiwi and rested on your stomach with your elbows propping you up, reading a book. Kiwi slept peacefully next to you - this dog was the furthest thing from a guard dog Jake had ever seen. You kicked your feet up in the air, flip flops discarded to the side of the blanket. Jake was happy to see you like this, enjoying the warmth of this sunny May afternoon.Â
He was about to walk away, but a sudden movement caught his eye. Two school kids started running to you, and before you could even register their presence, one of them snatched your flip flops and they both sprinted away, shrieking with laughter like two little devils. Where the hell were their parents?!
Without thinking, Jake started running after them, and so did Kiwi and Layla.Â
âHey! Come back here!â Jake yelled, hoping in vain that these kids would listen to someone older than them. Kiwi did his best, but his tiny legs didnât allow for such a chase - Layla, barking loudly at the thieves, was the first to reach them, and she managed to scare them so much, they tripped over their feet. But unlike them, she was well-behaved, so she sat once her job was done and waited for Jake to arrive.Â
âWhat are you two doing? You canât just steal other peopleâs things!â he admonished, holding onto his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
Both kids were already teary-eyed. âWe just wanted to play a prank, weâre sorry!â one of them quickly said, voice shaky.
âItâs not to me you should apologize, but to her,â Jake said, turning around to point in your direction. Thatâs when he noticed you sitting on your knees, hands covering your face as your shoulders trembled. âYou made her cry!â Jake exclaimed, tone much angrier than seconds prior. âLetâs go,â he said, grabbing the kids by their shoulders and forcing them to keep up with his quick steps.
You didnât notice their presence in front of you until Jake prompted them. At the sound of the all too familiar voice, you whipped your head up. Jake swore he heard his heart breaking when he saw your red eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. You barely heard the kidsâ apology, so amazed you were at suddenly seeing Jake.
âWeâre sorry for stealing your flip-flops and making you cry,â the first one said.
âSorry,â repeated the other one, handing you your shoes.
âOh, right. Thanks, just donât do it again,â you replied, sniffing as you took back your shoes.
âWe wonât!â they replied in unison before running away once more.
Jake stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, unsure what to say. He watched you stare at your flip flops like youâd never seen them before in your life. âYouâre not going to thank me for catching those delinquents?â he asked after a small while, chuckling slightly.
This made you look up at him. He gulped as your eyes met. Then, you burst into sobs again, and Jake started panicking. He crouched down to your level, first holding you by the shoulders then forcing your head out of your hands so he could wipe away your tears with the pads of his thumbs.
âNo no no, why are you crying, Y/N?â he asked softly, pulling you into a hug.
You continued crying into his shoulder, ignoring Kiwi and Laylaâs confused stares. âYou- you- I havenât seen you in ages!â you exclaimed.
Jake sighed. He didnât understand why you were crying like this for him, all he knew was that heâd never felt so awful. âIâm sorry, Y/N,â he whispered into your hair, pulling your shaking body closer to him. âIâm sorry.â
You leaned back to glare at Jake, your bottom lip jutting out in discontent. âDo you even know how much I missed you?â
Jake held your head in his hands like it was the most precious thing in the world. Mouth agape in surprise, he looked at you with sad eyes. âYou⌠you did?â
Your eyebrows creased. âOf course I did!â Another sob rippled through your body, and Jake took you back in his arms, wrapping them around your shoulders and resting his cheek against your hair.Â
âI missed you too.â
âThen why did you do this?â you asked, voice breaking.
âBecause I didnât want to get hurt,â Jake whispered back. âBut I didnât think Iâd hurt you. Iâm so sorry, Y/N.â
You leaned back again, but this time, you looked confused rather than angry. His eyes were soft as they scanned your face and as he brushed strands of your hair back behind your ears. âWhy would you get hurt?â you asked again, bringing your voice to the same volume as his.
Jake sighed and squeezed his eyes shut for a second, as if in pain, before opening them again and boring them into yours. âI like you so, so much Y/N. So much so that I donât know what to do with myself. But I know that you donât feel the same way, and I was scared that by staying by your side, Iâd just fall in love with you even more and get hurt in the end. So I pushed you away because I didnât know what else to do, but Iâm so sorry I- Youâre crying again?â
Your fists grabbed at the front of Jakeâs t-shirt as sobs raked through your body once more. It was official - Jake was the stupidest person youâd ever met. And you were in love with him.
âWhy are you crying?â
âBecause I like you too, you idiot!â you yelled back. Your tears were probably staining his t-shirt, but you couldnât care less. He liked you. Jake liked you.
You were too busy crying to see Jakeâs eyes slowly widening in disbelief. âYou what?!â
Gently, Jake pushed your shoulders back so he could look at you. Even with puffy eyes and a runny nose, you were the prettiest girl heâd ever seen. Pretty like an angel that had graced the Earth with her presence. âYou what?â he repeated, just to hear you say it again.
âI like you, Jake. Iâm so in love with you it's actually pathetic,â you said with a chuckle, looking down out of shyness. But when you looked back up, Jakeâs eyes were going back and forth between yours, the expression on his face like he couldnât believe what heâd just heard but desperately hoped it was true.
As you locked eyes, both of your faces lit up with grins. You burst into laughter together, finding each otherâs hands and intertwining your fingers together. Then Jake brought you back into his arms, holding tightly, as if he was scared you might disappear any second. Kiwi and Layla had long walked away to give the two of you some needed privacy.
In each otherâs arms, you rocked side to side gently and laughed for no reason other than the incredible fact your feelings were reciprocated. âYou stink, you know,â you suddenly said in-between giggles. âYou sweat while you ran after those kids.â
âI sweat? You mean I swote, right?â Jake asked a pause.
You leaned back to look at Jake. âSwote?â you echoed, and he nodded. Your umpteenth smile made your cheeks lift. âYou have to be kidding-â
âI am,â Jake cut off, mirroring your smile. âI just wanted to make you laugh.â
You gasped and lightly punched his chest before letting your body fall against his again. âYouâre so silly,â you said, sighing in bliss at the sound of his giggles.
Then all of a sudden, Jake pulled away and looked at you, almost frightened. âWhat about Sunghoon?âÂ
âWhat about him?â you asked back, confused by Jakeâs question.
âI thought you- Didnât you- you knowâŚâ
You tilted your head at Jake, a small grin spreading on your lips again. âI donât know.â
âI thought you liked himâŚâ Jake mumbled, looking away with a pout.
Before you could stop it, a noise of confusion left your throat. You looked at Jake like he was insane. âI can barely have a conversation with Sunghoon, what made you think I liked him?â
Jake pursed his lips and let a resigned puff of air out of his nose. âI, um- Remember when we mixed our backpacks up?â he asked and you nodded, smiling at the fun memory. âI may have, um, I may have read⌠your⌠diary,â he admitted, voice getting quieter with each word. He dared a glance at you - you looked horrified, eyes wide and mouth agape. âAnd you wrote that you liked Sunghoon,â he finished with a whisper.
It was silent for a few seconds, and Jake was bracing himself for a slap to the face or your screams, until you did the last thing Jake expected you to do - you laughed. You laughed so hard and for so long that he got scared you had gone insane and this was the first part of your mental breakdown before you murdered him in cold blood for having invaded your privacy. He wouldâve deserved it, he thought.
âI donât- oh my God, Jake, I donât- I donât like Sunghoon. I never really have, or not in the way you think, I canât- oh my God,â you explained in between giggles, trying to catch your breath but starting to laugh again every time you managed to compose yourself. Jake tried to laugh along, but he was too confused to do so properly.
âYouâre not mad?â Jake asked, eyebrows furrowed with worry.
âNo,â you replied, shaking your head and the last giggles out of your throat. âYou read it ages ago, and we didnât even know each other back then, thereâs no point in being mad now. Itâs just funny - I know exactly why you think I liked Sunghoon, but I didnât. Not really. And even if I did, those feelings are nothing compared to the ones I have for you now,â you said, beaming. A blush spread on Jakeâs cheeks, and you could tell he was trying (and failing) to contain a proud grin.
You explained to Jake the âcharacterâ thing you and your friends had going on and that Sunghoon (and hat guy) just happened to be one of them - you watched as Jake narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded, trying to understand this concept that was so foreign to him.Â
âYou know, it all makes a lot more sense now,â Jake said when you were explaining. âIt wouldâve been weird for you to like Sunghoon when I was right there.â He smirked down at you as you playfully rolled your eyes.Â
âOh my God!â you suddenly exclaimed, startling Jake in the process. Dramatic as always, he put a hand over his heart and exhaled loudly. âI have something for you. For us, actually.â You reached into your bag and got out the two accessories youâd made for you and Jake. âThese are for us to put on our backpacks, so that we donât confuse them again. They also match.â
Jakeâs eyes were fixated on the string of beads as you placed into his palm. âI tried to give it to you over the week, butâŚâÂ
A teardrop fell into Jakeâs palms, and when you looked at him, you realized heâd started crying. âJake?â you cooed softly, and he sniffled, wiping away the tears from his eyes.
As a response, he wrapped his arms around your shoulders and buried his face in your hair. âThank you. And Iâm sorry. I promise youâll never go a second without my undivided attention from now on,â he said, voice shaking with emotion, and you hummed happily.
���I wouldnât expect anything else.â
He leaned back, and you were relieved to find the familiar puppyish grin on his lips. You gazed into each otherâs eyes for a few seconds, and before he could stop himself, he grabbed your head in his hands and pressed a delicate kiss to your forehead. You raised your eyebrows in surprise, but when his face was back in front of yours, your eyes immediately drifted to his lips. They looked soft and plump and pink, and were utterly inviting. Every time youâd started daydreaming about kissing Jake, youâd stopped yourself, not wanting to over-indulge in your fantasies. But was this finally, really happening?
âY/N?â Jake said quietly. You could swear his face was getting closer.
âHm?â
âWill you be my girlfriend?â
Your face broke out into a grin. Without warning, you pressed your lips against Jakeâs - initially just for a peck, but as soon as you started pulling away, Jake chased after your lips and trapped them into a kiss, a proper one this time. Youâd never done this before, so it was naturally somewhat clumsy, but you and Jake were so giddy with excitement that you couldnât care less. So what if you were smiling so hard, your teeth clashed against his, or you kept bumping noses? You were kissing Jake Sim.Â
The second time around, he let you pull away to catch your breath, and you wished you could photograph the sight in front of you - Jake with flushed cheeks, closed eyes and a serene smile on his face. He was so pretty, and now, he was all yours.
When he opens his eyes and finds you looking at him, his smile widens. âIâll take that as a yes?â
âYes,â you echoed, laughing. You pressed your lips to his cheek before burying your face in the crook of his neck.
He hugged you to him and the sweet sound of his giggles filled your ears and your heart. âMy girl,â he whispered, before leaning his head back, face to the sky, and screaming it loud enough for the whole park to hear. You tried to shush him, but you couldnât stop laughing yourself out of sheer excitement. Layla and Kiwi came running back to you, barking happily and trying to lick your faces.Â
âI cried so much today, my eyes are gonna be puffy tomorrow morning,â you said between giggles.Â
Jake pressed his lips to yours in a chaste kiss. âIâll make sure you never cry again, Y/N,â he said, and he sounded so genuine, you almost wanted to cry again right then and there.
The rest of the afternoon went by in a blur - while you and Jake kissed, laughed, talked, and hugged, hours that felt like minutes passed you by. Jake kept on looking at the accessory you made him, poking fun at you for knowing his favorite color even though heâd never mentioned it.
âIt was a lucky guess,â you grumbled. âYour roomâs walls are that color,â you said, pointing to a particular dark blue bead.
âI love it,â he replied with a kiss to your forehead.
As always, he walks you home - and this time, you can take his hand without any hesitation. Your mom had come home from work while you and Jake were out, and you found her in the kitchen, prepping some veggies for dinner.Â
As soon as Jake introduced himself, a flash of revelation struck her and she shot you a knowing smirk. âSo youâre Jake,â she said, and the boy glanced at you with amused confusion. âThat one over there has been badgering me about you these past few weeks.â
Apparently, you agreeing to be his girlfriend had already gone to his head, because instead of looking surprised at your momâs words, he slowly turned to you with an arrogant smirk gracing his lips. âHas she?â
Your mom nodded slowly. âOh, yes.â Then her expression slowly morphed into something else as she remembered your red, puffy eyes from the other evening when youâd told her about what was going on with Jake. She raised her kitchen knife and pointed it straight to him, eyes narrowed. âIf you ever hurt my daughter again, Iâm putting you in the lasagna, young man.â
Jake gulped, smirk completely wiped off of his face. You just watched in amusement. âI- I wonât,â he stuttered, eyes fixed on the blade of the knife.
A wide grin reappeared on your momâs face as she went back to cutting the vegetables. âGood!âÂ
Jake looked at you for some sort of explanation, but you simply shrugged. Heâd just have to get used to your momâs crazy.Â
âYou know, youâre just as handsome as she described,â your mom told Jake with a wink.
âMom, please!â you exclaimed, cheeks burning with heat. You liked it better when she was threatening your boyfriend with a knife, but he was relieved by the new turn this conversation had taken.
âWhat else has she said?â
âOh, you know, just your typical heâs so smart, heâs so cute, heâs so funny-â
âOkay, thatâs it!â you cut in before your mom could spill more on you. You ignored Jakeâs noises of complaint as you grabbed him by the shoulders and led him towards the door. âI think itâs time for you to go home, no?âÂ
âY/N, come on!â Jake whined, giggling.Â
âWhy donât you stay for dinner, Jake?â your mom offered, making you stop in your tracks. You stared wide-eyed at her but she just looked at Jake, wearing an inviting smile.
âSure!â Jake beamed. âI just need to call my mom.â
âOh, invite her along! I always make enough to feed an army, anyway.â
âReally?â Jake asked, incredulous. Since his brother had left for university, it had always been just he and his mom at the dinner table. The thought of sharing a meal with you and your mom filled his heart with warmth.Â
âYeah!â
Jake smiled giddily as he got his phone out. âThanks, sheâll be stoked.â
Although you both wanted to help your mom, she urged you to stay outside with the dogs and enjoy the last rays of sunshine of the day, insisting she didnât need any help. So you and Jake spent some time throwing sticks for Kiwi and Layla and giggling at their cuteness. Kiwi quickly got exhausted and came to lie down at your feet, but Layla was tireless. âYour dog, your responsibility,â you said as you sat down next to Kiwi, rubbing his tummy and watching Jake throw the stick over and over again for Layla.
Jake was as relentless as Layla, and every time she ran after the stick, he ran to you and pressed a kiss to another part of your face, making you giggle every time. Once on your forehead, once on your nose, once on your cheek, then the other, and once on your lips.
Then his mom rang the bell, and as your mom opened the door for her, the oddest thing happened - they called out each otherâs name and hugged as if they were old friends. You and Jake exchanged a confused look before turning your attention back to them.
âWhat a coincidence!â
âRight! Such a small world, I canât believe youâre my daughterâs boyfriendâs mom.â
âBoyfriend? Gosh, has he finally asked her out? I was going crazy seeing him moping around in his room!â
âMom!â Jake yelled, face already reddening as you burst into laughter.
You joined them inside the house and set the table while your mom finished up dinner. Jakeâs mom had brought a bottle of red wine as a gift, so she poured two glasses for her and your mom, but you and Jake stuck to Sprite.Â
Apparently, they knew each other from some yoga class they both went to every Sunday - you found out this was the woman your mom often went out for lunch or drinks with. They were so excited to meet each other like this that they talked most of the time, leaving you and Jake to eat your food quietly and giggling every time you made eye contact or your feet touched under the table.Â
Just as you were about to take your last bite of lasagna, your phone pinged with a message. Curiously, so did Jakeâs. Chaewon had sent a message into the group chat, asking to meet her at work when her shift was done because she was craving an Oreo milkshake.
chae bae y/n u better come ik ur not doing anything better tonight anyway
You scoffed. You were doing something better.
âShit, todayâs Friday! The boys are waiting for me at the diner, I completely forgot,â Jake exclaimed as he read the messages on his phone.
âLanguage, Jake,â his mom scolded.
âAt the diner?â you repeated.
âYeah, that one we went to last time. Why?â Jake asked when he noticed your surprised expression.
âThatâs where Chaewon wants to meet.â
You both turned to your respective moms, silently asking for permission to leave the dinner table.
âJust go,â your mother said with a smile.
âIâll take Layla home later,â Jakeâs mom added.
You thanked them before rushing to get a bag and heading to the bus stop, hoping a bus would come by soon. Twenty minutes later, you were opening the doors of the diner and looking around for your friends, who were nowhere to be found. You were fishing your phone out of your pocket to call Chaewon when a familiar voice caught your and Jakeâs attention.
âWhat are they doing together?â you heard Jay say, followed by loud shushes. You turned your head to find all five of your friends (plus Jaemin) crammed in a booth in the corner that was somewhat hidden from the rest of the restaurant. But they were trying so hard to be discreet that it made their presence even more obvious - they hid their faces with their hands as if that would make them disappear from your view. You and Jake shared a look before chuckling, shaking your head at your friends.
âWhatever, theyâve clearly found us,â Jay sighed and exited the booth, walking towards the two of you.
âWere you guys trying to get us to make up or something?â Jake asked with an amused smile.
âYeah, we grouped up and planned this whole thing. It was a real team effort.â
âIt mightâve worked better if you hadnât all stayed here, you guys were so obvious,â you chided.
âTell that to your friends over there! They insisted on watching it unfold,â Jay grumbled, and you looked behind him to see your friends frantically waving at you.
You switched to a bigger booth that could accommodate all seven of you, and as soon as youâd placed your orders, Yena practically pounced on you, demanding an explanation as to how the two of you were already made up.
You turned to look at Jake and smiled at him before answering. âItâs all thanks to Kiwi, really,â you told Yena.
âKiwi? As in your dog Kiwi?â Chaewon asked with furrowed eyebrows.
âMh-hm.â In your peripheral, you noticed Jake tilting his head at you.
âYou mean Layla, right?â
You imitated his head movement. âNo, I mean Kiwi.â
âBut Layla made me go to the park today. I wouldnât have gone there if it wasnât for her,â Jake insisted, giving you an are you being serious look that you mirrored.
âI wasnât going to go outside at all but Kiwi kept bugging me to take him on a walk, thatâs why I was in the park in the first place. Itâs thanks to Kiwi,â you repeated.
âItâs thanks to Layla,â Jake retorted, playfully narrowing his eyes at you.
âTrouble in paradise,â Jaemin whispered, and Hyewon slapped his arm.
The whole table was silent as you and Jake stared each other down, waiting to see who would cave first. It was like everyone could breathe again when Jakeâs face broke out into a grin and he rested his arm behind your shoulders. âOkay, itâs thanks to Kiwi,â he conceded, making you hum in satisfaction. You rested your head on his shoulder and ignored Yenaâs groan of disgust at the PDA.
But Jake, as always, wasnât letting you off the hook so easily. âAnd Layla.â
â
02.06.202X - 12:18
rodrigo hater y/n i can see you being gross from across the courtyard can u guys not feed each other ur still on school grounds and ur ruining my day have some decency
sweet hyewon you guys are super cute <3Â jaemin and i only have the same lunch period once a week i miss him
rodrigo hater ugh wheres chaewon sheâd have my back
you hyewon love u yena frigg off youâre not going to like this⌠i think sheâs with sunghoon rodrigo hater WHAT
sweet hyewon omg hahahaha saw it coming cuuuuute
rodrigo hater i hate you all so much youâre all kicked out of my celibacy club
chae bae we werenât part of it in the first place
rodrigo hater GO AWAY YOU TRAITOR
03.06.202X - 09:15
you jake wake up wake up wake up please
jake ??? R U okay?
you kiwi keeps whining i think he wants to see layla come over?
jake . did u just wake me up before 10 am on a sunday morning for this
you i made pancakes?
jake iâm going back to sleep
you but i miss you :(
jake running
07.06.202X - 16:39
stink #1 hey
jake no
stink #1 wtf man
jake im busy
stink #1 smooching ur girl?
jake yeah stay mad bro
stink #1 whereâs hoon
stink #2 heâs at ice skating practice with me <3 this is chaewon btw
jake AYO????
stink #1 HE GAVE YOU ACCESS TO HIS PHONE???
stink #2 hehehe bye losers
stink #1 oh my god jake this is huge
jake right⌠our little boy heâs grown so much
stink #1 iâm getting teary eyed anyway i wanted to say i think we should invite the girls to bro night more often itâs always fun with them
jake oh? if u wanna see yena just say so bro
stink #1 fuck u man
jake ur literally so obvious you get 100% more obnoxious when sheâs around
stink #1 idc she laughs at my jokes
jake which is proof that thereâs something wrong w her anyway iâll ask my girl about it
stink #1 ew and thx ^^
09.06.202X - 17:03
jakey-poo y/nnnnnn y/n hellloooooo y/n y/n y/n baby :(((( where are u what r u doing i miss you hello y/n my baby darling angel pls answer me layla misses you
you jake sim
jakey-poo HIIIIII
you jay is a genius iâm anime pomodoroing the hell out of this essay itâs working so well iâm almost done with it already
jakey-poo donât compliment another man ever again iâm going to cry
you but jayâs your friend
jakey-poo iâll kill him if i have to
you gosh okay jayâs an idiot
jakey-poo hahaha he is ice cream after dinner ???
you duh
31.07.202X - 21:03
jakey-poo iâm waiting for you outside the theater baby we have a lot of talking to do. i canât believe you kissed someone else in front of me
you jake baby it was just acting <3 you know youâre the only one i really kiss
jakey-poo i know i am so come here and kiss me quick you did so well and you were so pretty on stage and i love you so much COME QUICK I WANNA KISS YOU
you iâm hurrying i promise but a lot of people are trying to talk to me :(
jakey-poo ofc they are you killed it my babyâs already famous <3
you hehe love you my jakey-poo
jakey-poo STOP IT WITH THAT
permanent taglist: @zreamy @sunghoonmybeloved @lalalalawon @sd211 @w3bqrl @raikea10 @wntrnghts @moonlighthoon @4imhry @rikisly @loves0ft @iamliacamila @theboingsuckerasseater9000 @chaechae-23 (ask to be removed/added!)
Š asahicore on Tumblr, 2023. please do not repost, translate, or plagiarize my works. feedback and reblogs always appreciated!
#@ : uc#enhypen x reader#jake sim x reader#enhypen fluff#jake sim fluff#jake x reader#jake fluff#enhypen scenarios#jake sim scenarios#enhypen imagines#jake sim imagines#enhypen angst#jake sim angst
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Save a Horse, Ride a Cowgirl('s abs)
requested by @jjsmaybank20: "Hey! Can I request a Regina x reader fic where reader is on the soccer team and has serious muscles, including and, and Regina is like really attracted to that? And they end up having sex and Regina riders the readers abs?"
WARNINGS: 18+ only pls. ab riding. regina being a bottom. reader being kinda cocky.
"oh fuck, that feels so good."
pleasure shot through her body at each roll of her hips. blonde hair stuck to sweaty skin as tattooed hands guided gentle curves up and down the defined ridges of a taut abdomen.Â
regina george never saw herself ending up in this position. she was the apex predator, she was the queen. yet here she was, half-naked and riding the "badass" of north shore's abs like there was no tomorrow.Â
"god gina, you're so fucking pretty like this. keep going baby, use me." the blonde whimpered at the sound of y/n's voice, deep and sultry. god, what was this girl doing to her? y/n's tattooed hand moved from her hip, reaching back and grabbing a handful of regina's ass, squeezing.
regina threw her head back, moaning loudly. she began to grind faster, chasing her high. y/n smirked and allowed her to speed up for a few seconds, before grabbing her hips and slowing her down. regina whined, the high she was chasing slowly fading away.Â
"not yet baby. just a little longer." regina let out a frustrated groan as she began her movements again. she hated when y/n teased her. the blonde whimpered as her clit throbbed. she needed a release, and she needed it soon. y/n smirked at how desperate the blonde on top of her looked.Â
she knew regina needed to let go of the control she had. yes, she was the queen bee, but everyone needed to relinquish control sometimes. when her and regina started dating, it was hard for the blonde to relinquish her dominance.Â
but y/n helped her learn that she didn't need to be the queen bee behind closed doors. and everyone at north shore could see and feel a difference when regina walked through the halls now.Â
sweat began to drip down regina's forehead as she sped up her movements once again. she could feel her orgasm slowly building again as y/n began to kiss her neck. regina threw her head back, giving more access to the skin as y/n sucked marks into her neck. "my beautiful girl, you look so perfect right now. i bet you're just aching to cum aren't you? beg me for it baby."
regina began to ramble. "please y/n, i need to cum. it's been hours. i need it so badly baby. i'll do anything for you to make me cum." y/n smirked at how blissed out regina looked and sounded. she felt cocky that she was the only one who could make regina feel as good as she did right now.
feeling as if regina earned it, y/n leaned up and whispered in regina's ear.
"cum."
regina saw white. her ears were ringing with how hard she came. her legs shook and she let out a scream (y/n thanked everyone above that regina's mom was gone). regina had never cum so hard in her life. her limp body melted into y/n's embrace as the girl held her tight and whispered sweet nothings in the blonde's ear.Â
y/n had rolled over, laying regina down on her massive bed, getting up and grabbing a washcloth from her bathroom. returning to the bed, she continued whispering praise to the blonde as she gently cleaned her delicate area with the cloth, shushing whimpers from the girl.Â
feeling satisfied with her work, she grabbed some of her boxers and an oversized t-shirt for regina to wear, stripping down to her boxers and sports bra, before sliding under the covers next to the blonde.Â
instantly, regina nuzzled herself into y/n's side, burying her face in her neck. y/n smiled and kissed the blonde's forehead. "i love you gina. so fucking much." regina smiled against y/n's neck, mumbling sweet "i love you too" before slipping off into dreamland.
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